Pregnant Maha woman subjected to rituals dies; husband booked

A man has been booked along with four others, including his parents, after his 23-year-old pregnant wife died as they refused to take her to a hospital and preferred to carry out exorcism rituals, police in Pune said on Monday.

The incident took place in Shilim in Lonavala on February 10 and a case was registered under sections of IPC and the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act, 2013, an official said.

''Dipali Bidkar was 8 months pregnant and started having labour pains on February 10. However, her husband Mahesh Bidkar, his parents, brother and brother's wife, did not take her to hospital and instead performed some rituals at home,'' A Lonavala rural police station official said.

While Dipali's kin insisted that she be taken to a hospital, her husband and his relatives claimed she was under a spell and needed to be exorcised by a godman, the official added.

Dipali's kin later rushed her to a hospital but she and her newborn died, he added.

After they approached the Andhashradhha Nirmulan Samiti, a case was registered, he said.

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