Parents burn children with incense sticks to treat fever in Karnataka's Koppal instead of medicine
Koppal: In a disturbing case of superstition-driven child abuse, several families in Vithalapur village of Koppal district have been reportedly burning their children with incense sticks to treat common fevers instead of consuming medicines.
The practice, which has also allegedly resulted in death of seven-month-old baby, has drawn strong condemnation from health officials and social activists.
According to a report by The New Indian Express, at least 18 such cases have come to light, following the recent death of the infant whose mother allegedly used a burning incense stick as a home remedy for fever. Social activists investigating the incident revealed that many more cases likely remain unnoticed.
The villagers reportedly believe that burning the skin with incense sticks and applying agarbatti ash can cure fever and bring God’s blessings. This belief, deeply rooted in local superstition, has led to repeated cases of children being physically harmed in the name of healing.
The district administration took serious note of the issue after the infant’s death. Authorities will file cases against the parents involved in all 18 identified incidents, the report added.
Residents of Koppal expressed concern over the prevalence of such harmful beliefs. Some villagers acknowledged that certain families not only practice these rituals but actively spread their beliefs to others. They have urged the district administration and police to crack down on individuals, including self-styled godmen (‘babas’), who promote such dangerous treatments.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner has instructed local officials to increase surveillance and launch awareness about the issue among villagers.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
SC to hear pleas for reviewing wages of priests, temple staff
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday a plea to constitute a judicial commission or an expert committee to review the wages and other benefits given to priests, 'sevadars' and temple staff in state-controlled temples.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta is likely to hear the PIL filed by advocate Ashwini Upadhyay.
The plea, filed through advocate Ashwani Dubey, seeks directions to the Centre and states to constitute a judicial commission or an expert committee to review the remuneration and other benefits given to the priests and temple staff in state-controlled temples.
"Petitioner also seeks a declaration that priests and temple staff are employee' under Section 2(k) of the Code on Wages, 2019. Petitioner submits that once the State assumes the administrative, economic and financial control over temples, an employer-employee relationship arises and denial of dignified wages to priests and temple staff violates the right to livelihood guaranteed under Article 21," it said.
Upadhyay said the cause of action accrued on April 4, when he went to Varanasi to attend a public programme and after performing 'Rudrabhishek' in the Kashi Vishwanath temple, which is controlled by the state, he came to know that even the minimum wages to live with dignity are not given to the priests and temple staff.
"Recently, in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, priests and temple staff organised a large-scale protest demanding the minimum wages. Priests and temple staff are not getting even the minimum wage prescribed by the State for unskilled and semi-skilled workers. This is a systemic exploitation. State is acting as a model employer through the endowments department, but violating the minimum wages Act and the directive principles of state policy (Article 43)," it said.
The plea further said the continued refusal to meet the minimum wages with the 2026 inflation-adjusted cost of living index has forced the petitioner to seek judicial intervention to prevent the further marginalisation of priests and temple staff.
Upadhyay further said the precarious nature of livelihood was starkly exposed on February 7, 2025, when a Tamil Nadu department issued a circular at the 'Dandayuthapani Swami Temple' in Madurai, strictly prohibiting priests from accepting 'dakshina' in 'aarti plates'.
"It is necessary to state that priests in such temples often receive no formal salary from the State and rely entirely on 'Dakshina'; the State's administrative order directly threatened them with starvation. Although withdrawn due to public outrage, the incident highlights the State's arbitrary power over the survival of the priests. This is also a bitter truth that States are controlling lakhs of temples but not a single mosque or church," the PIL claimed.
The petition, alternatively, sought direction to the Centre and states to take appropriate steps for the welfare of priests, sevadars and other temple staff in the spirit of the Allahabad High Court's earlier judgments.
