Three arrested for assaulting woman during exorcism

Three people, including an alleged black magic practitioner, were arrested after a woman was brutally assaulted in the name of exorcism rituals following suspicions that her body was possessed.

The arrested were identified as 54-year-old Sivadas, also known as Sivan Thirumeni, from Perumthuruthi, Pathanamthitta; 26-year-old Akhildas, the victim’s husband; and her 55-year-old father-in-law, Das, both from Manarcad, Kottayam..

The woman, who married Akhildas following a love affair, was subjected to the assault on November 2 during a ritual that lasted from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. According to police, the abuse was carried out on the suspicion that her body had been possessed by the spirit of a deceased relative. During the ritual, she was forced to consume alcohol, smoke beedis, have ash applied to her body and endure other forms of physical abuse.

The ordeal severely affected her mental health, prompting her father to lodge a police complaint. Following the complaint, Sivadas was arrested from her residence. The victim’s mother-in-law, who is also an accused in the case, remains absconding.

The accused were produced before the Judicial First Class Magistrate in Kottayam and remanded.