To ‘drive ghosts out of her body’, woman sarpanch beats to death 10-yr-old niece

Bhinder Kalan Sarpanch Pal Kaur, her husband Darbara Singh and two others, including a tantrik, have been arrested

THE sarpanch of Bhinder Kalan village in Moga district was on Thursday arrested for beating to death her 10-year-old niece, who was allegedly under the influence of "ghosts".

Along with Sarpanch Pal Kaur, her husband Darbara Singh and two others — accomplice Sewak Singh and Mari Mustafa village resident Mukhtiar Singh, who is alleged to be a self-styled tantrik — have also been arrested.

Moga SSP Sarjit Singh Grewal said: "We came to know about the incident when it became a huge issue in the village. A police party was sent and we found that Pal Kaur had called tantrik Mukhtiar Singh to cure her niece Veerpal Kaur. We have been told that the girl was not speaking and her family thought her to be under the influence of ghosts or spirit. They brought her to Pal Kaur, who along with Mukhtiar Singh, began to beat her in an attempt to push out the spirit."

Though the child fainted, Kaur and the tantrik kept on beating her, following which she died, he added. The police reached the spot after the murder and took the body in its possession. It was later sent for post mortem.

"We have handed over the body to her parents for her last rites. The girl's parents are not ready to lodge an FIR and we had to book the case based on the statement given by villagers," said Grewal.

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