13-year-old girl’s hands, legs singed in superstitious ritual

Rajkot: A brutal case of superstition has come to light in a village of Junagadh district where a 13-year-old girl suffering from convulsions was forced to hold red-hot coal in her hands and place her legs in a pit specially made for sacrificial fire by her relatives.The incident was reported from Ghasari village of Keshod taluka on the evening of March 28 where relatives of the girl had organized a ‘navchandi yagna’ to prove to her parents that she was possessed.

The police booked seven of her family members including her father under IPC sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 508 (act caused by inducing a person to believe that he will be rendered an object of divine pleasure). Three of them were detainedA complaint was registered by the victim's mother Damyanti Gajera against her husband and girl's father Praful Gajera and other relatives including Ujiben, Jayesh Gajera, Rahul Gajera, Popat Gajera, Babu Gajera and Govind Gajera.Damyanti told police that she has three daughters and had separated from her husband due to domestic disputes for the last few years. She was living in Junagadh city at her parents’ house.Her in-laws had organized the yagna' on March 28 and 29 and Praful went to her house to invite them.When Damyanti went there on March 28, her daughter started shaking her head violently claiming that she was under the influence of some deity. However, the girl’s distant aunt Uji and her cousins Jayesh and Rahul insisted that she was possessed with some evil spirit. The FIR alleged that Uji started pulling the victim's hair and her two cousins started thrashing her.Jayesh and Rahul then forced her to take burning coal in her hand and put her legs in the pit of fire. Damyanti rushed to save her from the ordeal but the other accused started thrashing her and two other daughters. The girl was admitted to Junagadh Civil Hospital with severely burnt soles and left hand.