‘Exorcist’ grandma believed evil spirit in kids were hurting kin
BATHINDA: Horrific details have emerged in the case of murder of two children allegedly by their grandmother and father in a bid to “rid of evil spirits” in Bathinda’s Kotfatta village, police said on Thursday. The victims — Ranjodh Singh, 5, and his sister Anamika, 3 — were being tortured for five days since last Saturday when a religious ceremony was started by their grandmother, Nirmal Kaur, who is a self-declared ‘tantric’ or exorcism expert, in the house.
Nirmal’s sister Prem Lata of Ludhiana, is reportedly suffering from a mental ailment, while her daughter Amandeep doesn't have any child; and Nirmal believed “evil spirits” in the two children were responsible for this. Superintendent of police Gurmeet Singh said she had been visiting various religious places. “She went to a dera in Faridkot district. She took her sister to a ‘godman’ in Kalanwali in Haryana too.”
Prem Lata was in the house on Saturday when the rituals started but was taken away by her family on Sunday, while two of Nirmal’s daughters were also in the house during these days.
Jaspreet Singh, 21, an uncle of the deceased, said: “My mother started the ceremony. (Nirmal and the children’s father, Kulwinder Singh, both arrested) beat the children with whatever they could find. All of us were made to drink urine of my mother who also drank liquor.”
Police also detained for questioning kids’ mother, Rozy, and four so-called godmen who were brought in by Mukhtyar Singh, the grandfather of the children, on Wednesday. But the parents of the children’s mother protested demanding that she shouldn't be booked. Meanwhile, post-mortem revealed that the kids died of strangulation, and not of electric shock as was earlier reported.
“On Wednesday morning, I was sent out of house by mother forcibly. Sensing trouble, I called my father to help and bring the children out. I heard their screams but they went silent after some time. By the evening, we entered the house, but the children had already died while Kulwinder was beating his wife. As I tried to save her, he hit me with sticks,” he said.
Mukhtyar, who works in Bathinda cantonment, said, “I had objected to the religious ceremony at the house and told my wife that instead of this, Prem Lata should be taken to a doctor. But they didn't listen to me, so I had left the house.”