‘Exorcist’ who forced 75-year-old to walk on coals arrested

Exorcist incites villagers to make 75-year-old walk on burning coals in Thane. Main accused arrested after victim severely burnt. Police investigating further.

THANE: The Murbad police have arrested the ‘exorcist’ who allegedly instigated Murbad villagers to force a 75-year-old man to walk on burning coals. Earlier, eight villagers were arrested on charges of culpable homicide.

‘Exorcist’ who forced 75-year-old to walk on coals arrested

The crime took place on March 3, when Lakshman Bhavarthe was made to walk on coals by villagers who were told by the accused that the 75-year-old was an exorcist responsible for their problems. This incident took place in Kervale village in Thane district’s Murbad taluka.

The main accused is identified as Devashri Mhaskar, 35, a resident of Asangaon. According to Murbad police officials, Mhaskar is a self-proclaimed exorcist who would perform rituals for villagers on ceremonial occasions. “The accused was called for a ritual called gondhal, which is performed for a newly married couple a day after their wedding,” said a police official. “While performing the gondhal, Mhaskar said he sensed some “bad living souls” who were hampering the auspicious ritual and because of whom bad fortune would befall the family.”

Ganesh Mhaske, a villager who witnessed the incident, said that when the villagers asked Mhaskar who the “bad soul” was, he closed his eyes, meditated, and replied that he was the oldest person in the village. The villagers then zeroed in on Bhavarthe, woke him up from his nap and dragged him to the scene of the crime. “Are you an exorcist?” they demanded. “Why are you creating hurdles in the life of villagers?”

A terrified Bhavarthe replied in the negative and pleaded with the villagers to let him go. However, Mhaskar lit up the coals and asked the 75-year-old to prove his innocence by walking on them. Bhavarthe was forced on to the coals by the villagers and was severely burnt. On Mhaskar’s instructions, they then made him lie down on the coals, and left him there. Bhavathe’s back was completely burned.

The ordeal did not end there. When Bhavarthe’s daughter rushed him to the government hospital, he was given superficial treatment and not admitted despite having 40% burns. Lawyer Trupti Patil, who is an active member of the Andhshraddha Nirmulan Samiti, an anti-superstition forum, said, “Several of us drew the attention of the police to this serious crime and made sure they included stringent IPC sections in the FIR. “Because the government hospital didn’t administer proper treatment, his condition deteriorated. On our intervention, the police admitted him to a private hospital.”

Patil said the Andhshraddha Nirmulan Samiti was demanding action against the doctors, the police patil of the village and the beat constables who failed to report the incident for dereliction of duty. “The collector should be asked to investigate all the cases and take action against the culprits, take measures to prevent these kinds of crimes from occurring and provide financial help and protection to the victim, who is from a very poor family,” she said.

The Murbad police team, which was attempting to track the accused for the last five days, finally arrested him from Bhiwandi. Senior police inspector Pramod Babar said, “He was hiding there. It was difficult to trace him because he was not using a phone or any electronic equipment. But we finally succeeded. We are questioning him and checking whether anyone else has been hurt because of his so-called exorcism.”