The wages of superstition

A gruesome case of human sacrifice and even suspected cannibalism which was reported from Kerala’s Pathanamthitta district this week has shocked the people of the state who have considered themselves to be educated and progressive.

According to reports, human sacrifices have taken place in the past also, not only in Kerala but elsewhere too. There is a view that some of them do not come to the notice of society because of the secretive way in which they are carried out. The incident in Kerala involved the killing of two women as part of black magic rituals. One of them happened in June and the other in September. Had not the second killing happened, the first one may not have come to light at all. It was the investigation into the disappearance of the second woman that led police to the first killing.

Read | Kerala human sacrifice case: Police reviewing other missing women reports; woman held for sorcery

According to reports, a person who was basically a criminal but also dabbled in black magic made a couple believe that they could get rich if a human sacrifice was performed at home. The couple had good social standing, and the husband was a well-known and respected traditional healer, even a haiku poet and a champion of progressive ideas on social media. Two women who earned their livelihood selling lottery tickets were lured to their home and ritually murdered in a cruel and gruesome manner. The police are also investigating whether there were more victims. While the accused persons are to be brought to book and justice should be done to the victims and their families, the incident cannot be treated as normal crime. Its locus goes beyond the accused individuals and the family, and involves the society itself which, even when it is not directly involved, should be concerned that such incidents could happen.

Kerala has a long tradition of progressive thinking and social reforms which are considered to have changed individual and social attitudes and helped it to create a unique and widely commended development model. But primitive passions and ways of thought have lurked under the surface, and even a single incident could provide a pointer to the dark underbelly of society that is still alive and kicking. This may be true of other states and societies also. Selfishness, greed, superstitions, cruelty, vile motives, and irrational ways of thinking combine in different ways to drive away reason, good sense and humanity. Societies sometimes regress to give respectability and legitimacy to outdated notions and ideas. Communities should guard themselves against sinking to those levels by promoting scientific temper, respect for the law, and acceptance of all individuals as equal human beings.