Karnataka woman dies after temple priest canes her allegedly to ‘cure headache’

The temple priest, Manu, booked under charges of murder, has been absconding since the incident.
Silhouette of a woman facing away
Silhouette of a woman facing away
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A 47-year-old woman from Karnataka’s Hassan district died allegedly after she was caned repeatedly by a temple priest who was trying to ‘cure’ her of her headache. The woman has been identified as Parvathi, 37, who reportedly sustained injuries after Manu, the priest at the Piriyapattaladamma temple in Bekka village, hit her repeatedly with a cane. An FIR has been filed in the case and an investigation has been launched to nab the priest, who is currently absconding. 

According to the FIR filed after the woman’s death, Parvathi had been complaining of a headache for two months, and that she had consulted several hospitals in Bengaluru, where the doctors allegedly told the woman that she had no illness. 

The woman’s daughter told her aunt about her mother’s headache, and her aunt suggested she be taken to the temple. The woman’s daughter then took her to the temple on December 3 to ‘consult’ the priest. According to the FIR, the priest asked the woman to be brought to him on December 7, the day of the town’s fair. When the family brought her to the temple on that day, the priest said that he would ‘cure her fear.’ Then, as part of the ‘treatment,’ the priest started hitting her on her body, arms, legs and head with a cane. The FIR states that the woman collapsed due to exhaustion after this.

The woman was then taken to her sister's house in the same village and after the woman showed no signs of recovery, she was taken to the Channarayapattana government hospital. The doctors there, according to the FIR, asked them to take the woman to a bigger hospital and she was later taken to the Hassan government hospital. The woman passed away at 3:30 am on December 8.

According to the police, the priest Manu has been absconding since the incident and the police have launched a manhunt for him. They are awaiting the victim’s post mortem report to ascertain the cause of death. The police have booked Manu under Section 302 (punishment for murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

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