A teenaged boy was allegedly sacrificed by treasure hunters at Nirmal's dilapidated Shamgarh fort evoking revulsion from all segments of people.
The body of the 14-year-old Poosapatri Ganesh, student of Class IX, was exhumed at the instance of Rathod Raju, the main accused who has reportedly confessed to the crime.
He allegedly throttled the victim and smashed his head with a stone and later buried the body on the fort premises on January 24 night.
Circle Inspector of Nirmal, Mahesh Babu, said the victim's father, Poosapatri Narsaiah, a tailor by profession, had settled at Shastrinagar some three years ago. Raju, who hails from Lokeswaram mandal, worked as a waiter in a hotel close to Narsaiah's residence.
The accused, a treasure trove hunter, befriended Ganesh by offering him food and rides on his motorcycle. He apparently had the motive of sacrificing the boy as he was told that it would improve his prospects of hitting upon a big trove of treasure.
Ganesh was last seen on a motorcycle with Raju some four days back.
After a complaint was lodged by the parents of Ganesh on January 25, the police questioned Raju and arrested him.
Massive search
The police are now on the lookout for three others who reportedly advised Raju that a human sacrifice on ‘amavasya' (new moon day) would help him in finding treasure.
Nirmal Deputy Superintendent of Police, Sheshu Kumar, oversaw exhumation of the body.
Meanwhile, activists of different political parties staged a rasta roko at Mancherial chowrasta protesting the gruesome incident and demanding a thorough inquiry.
Keywords: treasure hunters, human sacrifice
Comments:
Human speech is hopelessly inadequate to react to this barbaric atrocity towrds a helpless teenager,Poosapatri Ganesh,whose life was savagely sacrificed on the absurd superstition that it would secure fortune.
The Uttar Pradesh Government must forthwith organize a campaign all across the state, with volunteers marching with photos of the slain
boy.Irrespective of party loyalties, all must unite for this crusade.
I remember very clearly a report I read some months ago in "The Hindu," of a boy who was mercilessly killed by the members of a marriage party (or so), because he complained that the vehicle in which they travelled had hit his cycle and damaged it! I would imagine that these atrocities would not occur in any other part of the modern world.So it is time to cease from gloating about the antiquity of our culture,which permitted such superstitions to grow,and to teach people living in areas where such superstitions floursh, that it is time to reject these here and now.
People who perpetrate such gruesome acts must be awarded a harsh punishment to set an example for others who are in the line of such bigotry. I feel sad that such superstitions stille exist in India and that too at an expense of a child's life which was treated in this instance as a disposable commodity.
I hope the district administration keeps strict vigil of such anti-social elements and the people also play their part and prevent such acts from occurring again in the future.