Branded ‘witch’, woman tied to tree, tortured with hot iron rod for 2 days in Rajasthan's Bundi

The torture was allegedly intended to rid her of an "evil spirit" that was believed to be harming her maternal niece, who had recently gotten married

A self-proclaimed exorcist and his aides allegedly branded a 50-year-old woman as a "dayen" (witch), tied her to a tree, chopped her hair, blackened her face and tortured her with a hot iron rod for two days to "free" her from the "evil spirit" in Rajasthan's Bundi district, police told news agency PTI on Friday.

Nandubai Meena, a resident of Shahapura district, endured brutal torture for two days after being labelled a witch

Nandubai Meena, a resident of Shahapura district, endured brutal torture for two days at a local deity's place of worship near Gudagokulpura village in the Hindoli police station area, according to Bundi's superintendent of police, Rajendra Kumar Meena.

The torture was allegedly intended to rid her of an "evil spirit" that was believed to be harming her maternal niece, who had recently gotten married in the village, the SP reported.

Upon receiving the information, the police rescued Meena on Friday and filed charges against Babulal, a self-styled exorcist, and his two accomplices, based on the victim's statement.

However, the victim’s family contended that the incident occurred several days earlier and was reported to the police on November 27, but no immediate action had been taken.

The family also cited a one-minute purported video clip of the incident, claiming the accused tortured Meena with the help of some locals on the pretext of being under the "spell" of the deity.

Deputy SP (Hindoli Circle), Ajit Meghwanshi, clarified that the victim submitted a report to the police on November 27 and subsequently returned to her home in Shahapura district.

While the police were attempting to locate Meena to record her statement, her family members shared a video clip of the incident with local media on Friday. This led the authorities to track down the woman and send her for a medical examination, the DSP explained.

"The police registered a case on Friday evening and detained Babulal for interrogation. Efforts are underway to apprehend the other accused," the officer stated.