Pregnant woman beaten to death during ‘exorcism’ in Sindh – Pakistan

BADIN: A pregnant woman was killed after being subjected to brutal beatings over the course of five days — in the name of an exorcism. Although the suspected killers are in police custody, a case has yet to be registered.

The tragic incident occured in Khuda Bakhsh Hisbani village near Malkani Sharif town, on Monday.

The victim, 30-year-old Sangita Kolhi, was handed over to Bachu Kolhi and Harsan Kolhi — known as bhopa (witch-doctor) in the local parlance — by her husband Haresh Kolhi’s family.

They believed she had been possessed by an evil spirit. The two bhopas carried out what they claimed was the prescribed procedure for the ‘possessed’ woman in a temple just opposite the victim’s house.

As it turned out, the ‘procedure’ involved violent methods, including hair-pulling and beatings with fists and sticks, which continued for five days and nights. Sangita finally succumbed to the violence sometime on Sunday night, her family sai.

Hearing her death throes, family members and neighbours rushed to the temple, but the bhopas did not relent until someone informed the police, who arrived and arrested them at the scene.

The victim’s father Vishram, brother Ashok, and mother said that Sangita was in sound health before the ordeal. They said they had come from Jhuddo to meet her, but the Bhopas did not allow them to interact. They claimed that it would disturb the ‘exorcism’, and told her family they could see her in the morning.

Her family members were staying in a nearby village, as they wanted to take Sangita back, when they received news of her death.

Neighbours told the media they had been hearing Sangita’s screams for five consecutive nights and could not sleep. They claimed she was possessed by a spirit and the bhopas were trying to rid her of it.

They said that she had been married for six years, but did not have any children. However, she was pregnant at the time of her death.

The victim’s body was taken to Tando Bago hospital for post-mortem before it was handed over to her family, who returned with it to their village, Chang Mori, in Jhuddo.

Assistant Sub-Inspector Paras Ali Memon of the Pangrio police station said that police reached the crime scene after receiving information, took the body into custody and arrested the two suspects.

SHO Manzoor Nahriyo said a post-mortem had been conducted and a case would be registered after the family came forward to lodge a formal complaint.

Published in Dawn, January 28th, 2025