Tantrik hangs baby upside down over fire during ‘exorcism’ in MP's Shivpuri; damages infant's eyes

Police officials said that the tantrik Raghuveer Dhakad is yet to be arrested as further investigation into the matter is underway.

In a shocking incident from Madhya Pradesh's Shivpuri district, a ‘tantrik’ (occultist) hung a six-month-old baby upside down over fire during an "exorcism" ritual, resulting in severe damage to its eyes.

The tantrik had reportedly told the parents of the baby that the infant was being haunted by some shadows. (Representative Image/Pixabay)

The horrifying ritual almost blinded the baby's eyes, with officials saying on Saturday that it is difficult to predict whether his eyesight could be restored, a news agency PTI report said.

The incident took place on March 13 under Kolaras police station area after the baby's parents took him to the house of an occultist, one Raghuveer Dhakad, to 'treat' him for some discomfort.

The 'treatment' turned into an 'exorcism' ritual instead, wherein the tantrik told the parents that their son was being haunted by some spirits.

‘Will know after 72 hrs if eyes will be restored’

Police officials said that they came to know about the incident when the parents took their son to the Shivpuri district hospital.

Superintendent of Police Aman Singh Rathod, cited in the PTI report, said, "The boy is being treated at the hospital." In view of the serious nature of the matter, he said, a case has been registered against tantrik Dhakad on the basis of a complaint lodged by village Kotwar Janved Parihar, the man who reports crimes to the police.

However, police said that Dhakad is yet to be arrested as investigation into the matter is underway.

Shivpuri district hospital's ophthalmologist Dr Girish Chaturvedi said the infant's eyes were badly damaged, adding that he was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU).

"We will know only after 72 hours if his eyesight will be restored. His eyes are seriously injured," Chaturvedi said.

Last month in Ghaziabad, a 65-year-old man was arrested on charges of raping a woman and her teen daughter on the pretext of performing tantrik rituals to bring the woman's estranged husband back.

The man reportedly raped the woman several times during the past year, with officials saying that he was booked under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) act.