Man kills grandmother in Chhattisgarh's Durg, offers blood in superstitious ritual

Rukmani Goswami, 70, was killed by her grandson Gulshan, 30, in their home. After the act, Gulshan attempted to take his own life.

Published on: Oct 20, 2024, 15:30:30 IST

By HT News Desk

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In a shocking incident believed to be driven by superstition, a man allegedly killed his grandmother and offered her blood on a 'shivling' before attempting to take his own life in Chhattisgarh's Durg district, police said on Sunday.

Chhattisgarh man allegedly murders grandmother in ritualistic superstition incident. (File Photo)

The incident took place on Saturday evening in Nankatti village under the Nandini police station limits, said Sub-Divisional Officer of Police (Dhamdha), Sanjay Pundhir.

According to a PTI report, 70-year-old Rukmani Goswami was living with her grandson Gulshan Goswami (30) in a house close to a Shiva temple, where he performed rituals daily.

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On Saturday, Gulshan allegedly attacked his grandmother with a trident inside their home. After killing her, he reportedly carried her blood to the nearby temple and offered it on the 'shivling'. Following this, he returned home and used the same trident to stab himself in the neck, sustaining critical injuries.

Local residents alerted the police, who arrived at the scene, sent Rukmani Goswami’s body for postmortem, and rushed Gulshan to the hospital. He is currently being treated at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Raipur.

"Prima facie, the incident seems to be outcome of superstition," Pundhir said. He added that the investigation is ongoing, and a case has been registered.

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Anti-superstition and sorcery laws in India

There are no central laws specifically targeting such practices. While the Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act of 1954 exists, it has several loopholes and lacks comprehensive provisions to effectively address the issue.

In August, a PIL was filed in the Supreme Court seeking directives for the Centre and states to eliminate superstition, sorcery, and similar practices. However, a bench led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, along with Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, dismissed the plea, observing that courts are not the solution to all societal problems.

While acknowledging the seriousness of the issue, the bench stated that it is not something the judiciary can manage and this is an issue that has to be singularly decided by the Parliament.

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"The answer lies in education and spreading literacy. The more educated people are, the more rational they become. How can a court direction develop scientific temper? Writs can't resolve all societal issues," said CJI Chandrachud.

(Inputs from PTI)

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HT News Desk
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