Ranchi man attacks mother to sacrifice to goddess Laxmi, arrested
The accused attacked his 60-year-old mother in her sleep with a dagger to offer her to Laxmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth.
Police have charged a 26-year-old man in Jharkhand capital Ranchi of trying to sacrifice his mother under the influence of drugs to appease a Hindu goddess.
The accused, Umesh Singh, attacked his mother, 60-year-old Sushila Devi in her sleep with a dagger on Wednesday to offer her to Laxmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth. The old woman started bleeding profusely before local residents barged into the house, alerted by her screams, police said.
Sushila is currently recovering and Umesh is absconding. “We will take punitive actions once he falls in our trap,” said Khelari police station in-charge, Subodh Srivastava.
The victim, who is a widow, said she has two sons, Umesh being the younger one. Both were daily-wage labourers, but, of late, Umesh stopped working and spent his time in drug addiction and prayers.
Police said Umesh wanted to offer a rooster to Laxmi but didn’t find one. He returned home dejected and attacked his mother to offer her blood to the deity. Neighbours said Umesh spent long hours in loud prayer during the night.
Human sacrifice is not new in Jharkhand where superstition looms large. Hundreds of men and women are killed on suspicion of witch-hunting across the tribal belt every year. Urban population is also not untouched by superstition. Early this year, a man had slit his throat and sacrificed himself at the feet of a local goddess Chhinnamastika.
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