Maharashtra: Boy dies after witch doctor beats him to expel 'demon'
Mumbai, May 23: A 14-year-old ailing boy from Maharashtra's Sangli district died allegedly after he was severely beaten up by a witch doctor, who claimed that the teenager was possessed, an official said on Tuesday.
Aryan Deepak Landge, who lived in Kavathe Mahankal of the district, died of injuries on May 20 but the incident came to light after anti-superstition activists approached the police, he said.
As per the complaint by activists from Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti, an organisation that works towards eradicating superstitions and blind faith, Landge had a fever for many days and there was no relief despite treatment.
His family took him to a mantrik' (witch doctor), Appasaheb Kamble, at Shirgur in neighbouring Karnataka, the official said.
Kamble claimed that the boy was possessed by a "demon" and he would need to "drive" it away by beating up Landge.
However, the boy sustained serious injuries due to the beating, prompting his family to rush him to a hospital in Miraj in Sangli district, about 40 km from Shirgur. He died during treatment, the official said.
After learning about Landge's death, activists from Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti met his family members and then assistant police inspector Jitendra Shahane at Kavathe Mahankal police station to lodge a complaint.
As there is no anti-superstition legislation in Karnataka, the official said, police registered a Zero FIR under Indian Penal Code section 304 (causing death by negligence) against the witch doctor.
A Zero FIR (first information report) allows any police to accept a complaint and forward it to the appropriate station for action.
The case will now be probed by the Karnataka police, he added.
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Four of family killed as car jumps divider on highway in Gujarat's Panchmahal
Godhra (Gujarat) (PTI): Four members of a family were killed, and one sustained grievous injuries after their speeding car jumped a divider on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway corridor in Gujarat's Panchmahal district on Monday, police said.
The car driver lost control of the wheels near Kalol. As a result, the four-wheeler jumped the divider and veered off to the other side of the highway, an official from Kalol police station said.
Soon after the accident, some locals rushed to the scene and also alerted the police. Efforts were made to pull out the people trapped in the car.
Four persons died on the spot, while one suffered injuries, the official said.
The deceased were members of a family from Vadodara and were returning from Rajasthan when the tragedy struck, the official said.
They have been identified as Sajid Iqbal Khinji (55), Ilyas Iqbal Khinji (50), Ishaq Iqbal Khinji (48) and Rehan Azgar Khinji (35).
