Man arrested for killing neighbours in suspected human sacrifice in M.P. village

A 21-year-old man was arrested for killing two persons and injuring two others as part of alleged human sacrifice in Madhya Pradesh’s Singrauli district, police officers said on Thursday.

According to the police, the incident took place in the wee hours of Thursday in Lohra village under Jiyavan police station limits. The accused, Chhatrapati Singh, invited some of his neighbours for a religious ritual at his home and attacked them with sharp objects.

The deceased have been identified as Phool Kumari Singh Gond (51) and Kamal Narayan Singh Gond (65), while Sumitra Singh (38) and Ram Bhajan Singh (35) survived the attack, but suffered injuries. The accused and the victims all from the Gond tribal community.

Singrauli Superintendent of Police (SP) Manish Khatri told The Hindu that the accused had been disturbed ever since his wife had a miscarriage. He believed that some of his neighbours were responsible for it. “Though his father died due to illness a few years ago, he believed that they were responsible for his death too,” said Mr. Khatri.

After the attack, the accused locked himself inside the house with his family. “Police personnel entered the house through the roof and did not initially use force as his family was also inside and he was in possession of weapons. After his family was rescued and weapons were seized, we overpowered him and took him into custody,” he said.

Jiyavan police station in-charge Gyanendra Singh said: “They were all his neighbours and he had called them for some ‘worship’ at his home and attacked them during the ritual. He used an axe and another sharp object for the attack.” Items related to superstitious practices and the weapons were recovered from his house, he added.

The SP said a murder case has been registered and the accused will be produced before a court on Friday. “There will be more clarity on the motive after a detailed investigation,” he added.