‘Drunk’ man kills 85-year-old woman in fit of ‘hallucination’

Udaipur: An allegedly inebriated 60-year-old farmer in Rajasthan’s Udaipur bludgeoned an 85-year-old woman passer-by to death with an umbrella while apparently hallucinating that he was “a Lord Shiva incarnation who can resurrect her after killing her”.Videos of Saturday’s horrific act in a remote area of Saira’s Hamrai Paal village have gone viral, shot by two minor cowherds grazing their cattle nearby.Pratap Singh, the perpetrator, was first questioned Saturday evening and later arrested after police received information that the woman’s body was lying in the field, Udaipur SP Bhuvan Bhusan Yadav said.The woman has been identified as Kalki Bai Gameti and she was headed home when attacked, police said. She has a son, who has now filed a murder FIR against Pratap, the police said.The cops came to know during investigations about the viral video, prompting them to detain and question the two cowherds. Another person, Nathu Singh, who was present at the spot, is also being quizzed.The police have refuted rumours spread by some sections of people that Pratap killed the woman as he suspected her of being a witch, calling it instead a “random murder by a heavily drunk, hallucinating” man.In the video, Pratap can be initially seen sitting beside the woman and telling her that “he is a follower of Lord Shiva and that he had sent him to her”. Then, he is seen punching her on the chest, knocking the woman down to the ground. Later, he is seen dragging her by the hair and hitting her on the head with the umbrella.Nathu, who happened to be passing by at the time, told the police that he initially thought it was all a “gimmick” and tried to stop Pratap. The cowherds also reportedly tried to stop him a little later. But Pratap did not listen to anyone and continued assaulting the woman. Some other passers-by did not try to save the woman.