On Monday night, in the heart of Assam's Sonari town in the Sivasagar district, 25-year-old Ranju Devi first erected a fireplace behind her house, put her five-month-old baby on it and then after some rituals and chanting, poured oil over the child, gagged him and set him on fire, all in the name of bringing good luck to the family, that had just migrated to Assam from Bihar about a week ago and was working as daily wage labourers.
The woman claims that after the baby burnt to death, she told her family members including her husband about it, who then buried the body of the infant at a local crematorium, instead of going to the police.
The crime was discovered only next morning when the family's landlord grew suspicious and informed the police.
The Assam Police has arrested Ranju Devi and her family. Ranju has been charged with murder while the others have been charged with conspiracy and destruction of evidence. Police sources say the woman has confessed to her crime but believes she killed the infant in the interests of her family.
Sources also say the woman claims to have carried out the killing after seeing a dream that one of her two sons needed to be sacrificed for the good health of the family.
This isn't the first case of human sacrifice in Assam in the recent months. In October this year, a man killed his 13-year-old son at Guijan village in Tinsukia district in what he called an act of offering to the goddess Durga.
And this isn't the only superstition Assam is grappling with. Attacks against people suspected to be practising witchcraft are also on the rise in Assam, with about 105 cases of 'witch-hunting' reported across the state from 2006 to 2012, with the highest number, 29, in 2011. This has compelled the Assam government to bring in an anti-superstition bill in the state assembly.
This latest incident of human sacrifice is a grim reminder that the battle against all forms of superstition, is still a very tough one, not only for Assam, but for the country.