A woman from Pune in the western Indian state of Maharashtra filed a complaint against her husband and in-laws for allegedly harassing her and collecting her menstrual blood for Aghori rituals before selling it, shocking many in the state.
The woman, who was not identified, lodged a first information report (FIR) detailing how her husband and his family harassed and abused her since she married him in 2019.
Pune Woman Forced By In-Laws To Give Menstrual Blood For Black Magic: Copshttps://t.co/2lYais4uZN
— Subhashini Ali (@SubhashiniAli) March 11, 2023
According to the victim, her husband and in-laws tied her hands and feet during her menstrual period. Then they used a cotton swab to collect her menstrual blood and sold it for witchcraft for 50,000 rupees, equivalent to around 606 US dollars.
The woman was also starved for three days during her period.
The victim spoke to her parents before filing her complaint with the Vishantwadi Police, which transferred the case to the Beed district. The Maharashtra state government urged the police to act swiftly and strictly to solve the issue.
That is an example of illiteracy and ignorance.
— Nirmalya Dey (@d__nirmalya) March 11, 2023
The woman’s husband and her in-laws were arrested for violating parts of the Indian Penal Code as well as Maharashtra’s Act for the Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and Other Inhuman, Evil, and Aghori Activities and Black Magic of 2013.
The case was also raised to Dr. Manisha Kayande, a member of the Legislative Council of Maharashtra, and the Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, a right-wing group in the state.
What da actual fuckk!!
— KHITISH (@KHITISHRANJANS8) March 10, 2023
Pune guardian minister Chandrakant Patil was also shocked when he heard the news and urged authorities to apply the worst punishments for the perpetrators of the crime.
I was actually born in beed, sickening stuff. Black magic is really prevalent in that region.
— Huzefa (@huzefa79) March 14, 2023
While the news shocked many Indians, it wasn’t the first time an incident like this happened in the country, where many Hindu devotees often follow several superstitions.
A similar case happened in January when a 28-year-old woman complained to the Sinhgad Road Police after she was allegedly forced to consume human bone powder as part of a black magic ritual so that she could conceive.
