Buried neck deep for exorcism, woman dies crying for help

A 30-year-old woman died of panic and suffocation after she was buried neck deep in a 5-feet-deep pit in a yard for hours by a woman practising witchcraft in Muslim-dominated Mewat district of Haryana.

The victim cried for help for hours before a large crowd that had gathered to see what the ‘witch doctor’ claimed would be an act of exorcism in front of all. The deceased, Parameena, was touted to be under the influence of evil spirits. The victim’s husband, Sakir, a native of village Bhootpur Udawar, was made to convince relatives that his wife needed treatment meant for people showing signs of ‘paranormal’ activities.

Sahida, the woman practising witchcraft, is being questioned by the police. According to the victim’s husband, his wife had been manifesting strange behaviour for the last many days. Treatment by doctors, he claims, proved of no help, which is when villagers viewed her case fit to be treated by Sahida of another village, who they claim "cures persons under the influence of evil spirits".

On Tuesday, Sahida buried the victim neck deep in a pit in her yard. The victim kept screaming relentlessly, feeling suffocated under the earth. The husband claims he suggested that his wife be pulled out, but was driven away by Sahida and others with the ‘logic’ that the spirits were trying to lure him to impede the treatment.

Slowly the cries of the victim, mother of two kids, waned and finally stopped. She had died. The victim was then pulled out without breath with her eyes shut.

Sahida maintains the spirit had killed Parameena. A joint panchayat of both the villages was summoned to resolve the matter.