he killing of two children in a suspected case of human sacrifice for black magic in Shirakol village of Navalgund takul in Dharwad district is likely to revive the debate on the need for stern steps to put an end to the superstitious practices in the State.
Karnataka government, which had drafted a Bill in this regard, had backtracked following uproar over the proposed law being “anti-Hindu”. This incident has come to light even as the demand for ushering in legislation against superstitious practices has got louder, following the killing of scholar M.M. Kalburgi, who was one of those who argued for it.
Social activists here believe that such superstitions are widely prevalent in the region, although too few incidents come to light. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) has recorded two deaths due to human sacrifice in the State in 2014. During the same year, the country recorded 16 such deaths. Karnataka did not record any such cases in 2012 and 2013.
The most recent case in the region, suspected to be human sacrifice, was the murder of six-year old boy Nikhil by treasure hunters at Navalur village, near Hubballi, in 2006. His decomposed body was found on a railway track near the village, with his skull broken, brain missing and one eye plucked. The body had deep wounds indicating he was sacrificed by treasure hunters. The police eventually succeeded in arresting four persons for the crime, including that of the boy’s paternal uncle.
Similarly, in 2011, 18-year-old Basavaraj Kademani was allegedly sacrificed at Tirumaladevarakoppa village, near Ranebennur, in Haveri district. He was suspected to have been killed by his employer to “ward of evils” from their newly constructed house on the advice of a sorcerer. There were rumours about the sacrifice of a child in Halligeri village near Dharwad in 2010 but it was not established.
