SICK WOMAN PREPARED FOR BURIAL WHILE ALIVE!
Afraid of reprisals, relatives obey the will of an evil spirit
In an extraordinary event, a sick woman who was declared dead by her relatives and placed alive in a coffin for burial is alleged to have actually died for want of medical treatment and of starvation.
Relatives, who decided that a woman who had been ailing for more than two months was dead, placed her alive in a coffin, squeezed two cotton balls into her nostrils and made arrangements for the funeral. However, when the Kandeketiya Medical Officer of Health Dr, Manuja Laksiri Wipuladasa visited the scene on infor mation received from the public that the relatives were preparing to bury a sick woman who may be in fact alive, he found that she was really dead.
Dr, Wipuladasa said the woman had died for want of medical attention and of starvation. The unfortunate woman W.m.nandawathie (45) of Maliyadda in Kandeketiya was a mother of two children. When questioned by the doctor, her relatives said that the deceased woman’s sister who was haunted by a spirit had threatened to destroy the entire family if the woman was taken to hospital without leaving her to die. The relatives said that in fear of that threat, they refrained from obtaining medical treatment for the sick woman.
“I received a message from a school teacher of the area that a group of individuals in Maliyadda were preparing to bury a woman alive. I immediately conveyed this infor mation to the Uva Province Director of Health Dr. Nilamani Hewageegana and the Deputy Director Dr. Kamani Senanayake and on their instructions left for Maliyadda with several others. I found the body inside a coffin that was placed on a bed. I examined the body to find that rigor mortis had not set in indicating that she had died only about one hour before my arrival. She could have recovered if she had received medical attention in time.
I am sure that she had been placed alive in the coffin. It was a real tragedy. What was most surprising was their explanation for not taking the sick woman to hospital. They said the deceased woman’s younger sister who was being haunted by a spirit of a dead relative threatened them with death if the patient was taken to hospital and that they were compelled to obey the spirit in fear of a possible disaster. It is tragic that the relatives decided the sick woman was dead on their own and not after a medical examination. They had caused the death of a mother of two children. She would have survived if medical treatment was given. But instead, I understand her relatives had resorted to devil dancing and exorcism to cure the illness. It is lamentable that people still believe in spi-
A school teacher of the area, Nimal Sarath Kumara said: “When I visited the house of the dead woman, she had been placed in a coffin. I saw that she was sweating and had tears in her eyes which were clear indications that she was still alive.”
rits, just as they did many centuries ago. The need of a programme to create public awareness in this regard is felt more than ever today.”
A school teacher of the area, Nimal Sarath Kumara said: “When I visited the house of the dead woman, she had been placed in a coffin. I saw that she was sweating and had tears in her eyes which were clear indications that she was still alive. I immediately infor med the DMO about my suspicions.”
Meanwhile, the City Coroner, Badulla, R.m.seneviratne who held the inquiry retur ned an open verdict and decided to seek instructions from the Badulla magistrate. He said he did not see the body and that he was not in a position to make a decision.