The deaths in Shirasgaon brought back memories of the Chanda child killing case that had shocked the Ahmednagar district. A couple of years back, four children from Chanda had been allegedly killed to retrieve hidden treasure. The treasure was believed to have been buried in an old mansion in the village.

Incidents of human sacrifice are not just confined to the medieval times. Maharashtra has witnessed cases of human sacrifice that drew the attention of media and social scientists, the worst being the Manvat killings in the early 70s. The tiny village in semi-arid Parbhvani district had then hit the headlines. At least ten children, mostlygirls, were found murdered in the most savaged manner.

The reason was shocking. A couple who sought a son was told by a devrushi (tantrik) that they would beget one if they offered the goddess blood from the private parts of virgins. Four pardhis were given the death penalty in the case, while the court acquitted the couple. In fact, two celluloid versions of the Manvat case were later made, both in Marathi. Aakrit was made by Amol and Chitra Palekar, while poet-film producer Ramdas Phutane made Sarvasakshi.

Similar incidents were reported from Kurkumbh village near Pune where a boy was killed as a part of a ritual to fill a dry well. In all the cases, the bodies of the victims were found with multiple injuries, especially on their private parts.

But the injuries found on the bodies in Shirasgaon did not come under the theory of human sacrifice, said senior police officials in Ahmednagar. They maintained that the wounds were superficial and were caused by crabs and other aquatic animals. Though thisview drew scepticism because the bodies were in the water for the short span of four hours, wildlife experts here felt that this was not abnormal.

Conflicting claims were being made about the deaths. Even as Laxman Yadav, uncle of the deceased, and others were maintaining that the boys were killed and later dumped in the pond, the notion was countered by Srirampur DSP Madhav Tambade.The bodies were found a few hours after the boys were seen walking towards the pond with their aunt, Tambade said. Even as villagers questioned the fact that almost identical wounds were found on all the bodies, they also pointed out that the spot where the bodies were found was in the vicinity of a self-styled tantrik's bungalow.

The Aurangabad police have allegedly arrested the tantrik along with some of his accomplices in a black magic-related case. Meanwhile, the people of Shirasgaon have decided to hold a village meeting on Friday to decide further action in protest the inaction of the local police, a report fromSrirampur said.