Interactive | Human sacrifices in India over the years

After the latest gruesome case of human sacrifice in Kerala, here's a look at related statistics

A case of human sacrifices in Kerala has been grabbing headlines in the past few days. The case pertains to two women, in their 50s, who were dismembered and buried in a suspected case of "ritualistic human sacrifice' by a couple in Pathanamthitta. The couple, Bhagaval Singh, a traditional healer, and his wife Laila are the accused. Along with them, Mohammed Shafi, alias Rasheed has also been taken into custody, for allegedly organising the black magic rituals, and luring the victims.

Human sacrifices, although not common, are still prevalent in India. National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data has recorded a total of 103 ritualistic sacrifices have in the country from 2014 to 2021. The year 2015 saw the highest number of such cases at 24, while 2018 saw the lowest, with 4 cases. According to government data, 6 cases of human sacrifices were recorded in 2021.

The state of Chattisgarh recorded the highest number of human sacrifices between these years, with 14 cases, while Karnataka is a close second with 13 cases, followed by Jharkhand with 11. Chattisgarh recorded the most cases in 2020, with 9 cases in total, while in Karnataka, most cases were recorded in 2017, with 5 cases.

Looking at data for 2021, 6 cases were recorded in the year, with Chattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Telangana and Jammu and Kashmir recording a case each, while Kerala recorded 2 cases.