Baripada: A 40-year-old tantric practitioner has been arrested in Mayurbhanj district for allegedly sexually assaulting a 19-year-old female college student under the pretext of performing ritual healing on her ailing father, police said.
The accused, identified as Radhu Kisku of Dalsara under Tiring police station limits and Jharadihi outpost, was allegedly involved in practising Jhada-Phunka, a form of ritual healing or exorcism.
According to the complaint, a man from the Jharadihi area had been suffering from an illness for several days. After treatment at hospitals and consultations with doctors and traditional healers failed to improve his condition, the family was advised to approach Kisku.
The tantric allegedly told the family that the man’s illness was caused by a supernatural force attached to his daughter’s body. He reportedly claimed that the problem could be resolved through Jhada-Phunka and took the young woman into a separate room.
The accused allegedly molested her there and warned her against disclosing the incident, claiming that any disclosure would prevent her father’s recovery. Frightened by the threat, the girl initially remained silent, the complaint stated.
The accused later allegedly summoned her again on the pretext of conducting another ritual on a new-moon night. When she went to him, he allegedly took her to a house where she was sexually assaulted.
The girl subsequently approached Tiring police and lodged a complaint against Kisku. Police registered a rape case, numbered 125/26, and arrested the accused.
Both the accused and the survivor were medically examined, police said. Kisku was subsequently produced before a court.
The incident has once again highlighted concerns over the continued practice of superstition-based treatment in rural areas despite awareness campaigns against such practices and the availability of modern medical care.
