Odisha Boy Thrashed Mercilessly To Cast Out 'Evil Spirits'

Balasore: A disturbing video of an eight-year-old boy being mercilessly thrashed by a woman and a man to get rid of alleged evil spirits housed in his body went viral in social media today triggering widespread resentment over such regressive practices.

As per reports, the parents of the victim boy had brought him to one Ajay Raula and another woman, claiming to be sorcerers, for treatment in Raniguda village under Kamarda Police limits of Balasore district.

The video shows the helpless boy being beaten with sticks and even forced to lick shoes to cast out alleged evil spirits inside his body.

“People tend to merge superstition with religion and God. That’s why these quacks get a chance to exploit them,” Devendra Sutar, a rationalist, said.

Anuradha Mohanty, a child right activist, said, “Nobody actually cares about law as the conviction rate in these cases is very low and the punishment is not stern too.”

However, refuting allegations of any physical abuse, the father of the boy said, "My boy was unwell for the last 1 month. I had taken him to doctors at Cuttack but there was no improvement in his health. His health is better now."

Later in the day, police registered a case against the duo who are reportedly absconding.