Baby battles for life after gruesome healing ritual

According to sources, the ritual was carried out on the advice of village elders. Superstitious beliefs are widespread in Bhilwara due to lack of education and awareness among the people.

Bhilwara: Rajasthan police have registered a case after a 13-day-old infant was injured during a ritual to cure her illness.

Villagers placed a hot object on the baby as a cure for pneumonia. The baby is in a critical condition at the Mahatma Gandhi hospital in Bhilwara.

The practice of singing, known as ‘raakha’ or ‘daagna’, is rampant in many villages of Bhilwara and neighbouring districts during rituals.

The villagers believe that putting a hot object at a specific place on the body opens up clogged veins and arteries and cures ailments.

According to sources, the ritual was carried out on the advice of village elders.

Dr Indra Singh, a paediatrician at Mahatma Gandhi Hospital, said that a young man in Paroli carried out the ritual on his daughter to because she was struggling to breathe. As a result, the condition of the baby is very serious now.

Superstitious beliefs are widespread in Bhilwara due to lack of education and awareness among the people.