Maharashtra shocker! Teenager forced to eat cow dung to ward off evil spirits

Latur: In a shocking incident, an 18-year-old-girl was beaten up and made to eat cow dung in Maharashtra`s Latur.

The incident occurred in Dhangarwadi village, near Chakur in the district on June 6 and came to light after a villager lodged a complaint with the local police. The video of the proceedings has gone viral on a messaging app.

Reports claim she was force fed by a `Mantrik' (quack) as a remedy for her sickness and to ward off evil spirit.

IANS quoted sources as saying that the girl and two other women relatives were accused of being haunted by evil spirits as they regularly quarrelled with the menfolk in the household.

Their relatives forcibly took them to a Mantrik who assured he could exorcise the evil spirits from the women. When the girl protested, the tantric became furious and ordered her to be tied down.

Meanwhile, Vikas Naik, deputy superintendent of police, Chakur, told news agency PTI that an elderly woman is also an accused in the case.

A case has been registered against six persons including the girl's father and the `Mantrik' at Chakur police station in Latur district.

Police today arrested Prabhakar Kesale (35), Gangadhar Shewale (65), Pandit Kore (37) and Dagadu Shewale (40), while a team has been sent to Bidar district of Karnataka to nab the quack.

The girl, a first year BA student, suffered from perennial stomach ache, DSP Naik said. Family members suspected that she was a victim of some black magic, and took her to a quack in Bidar district on June 04.

Another woman from the same village, who suffered from from epilepsy, accompanied her.

At Bidar, as a part of so-called treatment, both were beaten up mercilessly and forced to eat cow dung.

One of the accused shot video of the proceedings on mobile phone. Police took action after some senior police officers received forwarded video on their phones.

Latur police have registered a case under the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and other Inhuman Evils and Aghori Practise and Black Magic Act, 2013. (With Agency inputs)