Pune woman forced to consume human ashes in witchcraft ritual; 8 booked

A woman was made to consume human ashes as a part of a witchcraft ritual in Pune, so that she can bear a child and bring prosperity to the house.

Pune:The Sinhagad Police here on Thursday booked 8 people for allegedly performing witchcraft activities on a 28-year-old woman. The victim lodged a complaint against her husband and in-laws after they forced her to consume human ashes in order to get pregnant and bring prosperity to her house. The police have registered a case and launched an investigation into the matter.

The incident was reported from the Dhayri area in Pune. A preliminary investigation into the matter revealed that the woman was being physically and mentally abused by her family for the past three years. Police said that the accused family members had been harassing the victim for dowry for a long time. The abuse intensified when the woman failed to bear a child several months after the marriage.

The family then resorted to witchcraft and started performing Aghori pujas on the woman, involving human and animal sacrifices. A few days ago, the family performed a similar ritual, as mentioned in the woman's complaint. The ritual involved the sacrifice of goats and chickens, she said. At the end of this ritual, the victim was forced to consume human ashes. Unable to bear the ordeals after that, she reached out to the Sinhagad police and told them all about the matter.

The police have registered a case under Indian Penal Sections 498 (a), 323, 504,506/2, 34 of the Maharashtra Human Sacrifice and Inhuman Aghori Practices and Witchcraft Act 3. The 8 accused named in the complaint are identified as victim's husband Jayesh Pokle, brother-in-law Shreyas Pokle, sister-in-law Isha Pokle, father-in-law Krishna Pokle, mother-in-law Prabhavati Pokle, two acquaintances of the family Deepak Jadhav and Bata Jadhav, all residents of Pune.

The Maharashtra State Commission for Women also took cognizance of the matter. Commission's chief Rupali Chakankar took to Twitter to slate the incident and assure that proper action will be taken against the culprits. "In Pune, a woman was forced to eat the ashes of human bones because she was not having a child. This kind of incident in Pune, which is known as the home for education, is reprehensible and inhumane. State Commission for Women has taken cognizance of this matter and directed the Sinhagad Road Police Station senior officials to take immediate action and submit a report to the commission," Chakankar said in her tweet.