A sense of fear and outrage has taken over Mahudbi village in Chhattisgarh's Balod district after a horrific discovery at a local burial ground. The grave of a three-year-old girl, who was buried three months ago, was disturbed in the middle of the night, with what appeared to be occult items found scattered around the site.
Piya Sahu, the daughter of resident Jitendra Sahu, died of an illness three months ago. The family buried her at a cremation ground about a kilometre outside the village. However, the events of this past week have reopened wounds the family was still struggling to heal.
On Sunday morning, a farmer walking to his fields noticed unusual items near the grave: a lit lamp, rice grains, a sliced lemon, and a piece of raw meat. As news spread, a crowd gathered at the site. The situation turned from fear to anger when villagers realised the soil had been freshly dug up, suggesting an attempt to perform an occult ritual or even exhume the child's body.
"Someone tried to dig up my daughter's grave in the dead of night. This is inhumane," said Jitendra Sahu. He has demanded a thorough investigation and an immediate excavation of the grave to ensure his daughter's body has not been tampered with.
Due to the sensitivity of the case, a heavy police presence has been deployed in the village. Nand Kumar Sahu, the Haldi outpost in-charge, confirmed that the family has filed a formal complaint. "Once we receive permission from the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), the grave will be excavated, and every aspect of the case will be examined," he said.
This incident highlights the ongoing struggle against superstition-driven crimes in Chhattisgarh. Despite the state's Witchcraft Atrocities (Prevention) Act of 2005, such cases remain common. Between January 2020 and June 2024, 54 murders linked to superstition were reported in the state. National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data from 2021 previously ranked Chhattisgarh as having the highest number of witchcraft-related cases in the country.
