The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Saturday, October 15, directed the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police (DGP) in Kerala to submit a report on the recent alleged human sacrifice killings. The Commission added that the report must be submitted within four weeks, including details on the status of the investigation and compensation, if any, that was paid to the families of the victims.
In a statement, NHRC said, “The Commission has observed that such incidents cannot be expected in a civilized society where a human being is killed by another in the name of ritual without any fear of law. The Right to Life of both the victims has been grossly violated.” The statement added that the state is responsible for the lives of its citizens and cannot escape liability to protect them from such evil practices.
Two women who sold lottery tickets, Rosily and Padmam, went missing from Ernakulam district. Rosily went missing in June while Padmam went missing in September. Rosily’s daughter, who lived in Uttar Pradesh, filed a missing complaint and Padmam’s relatives also did the same. In a probe to find the missing women, the Kerala police suspected that a couple from Thiruvalla in Pathanamthitta district and a man from Ernakulam abducted and murdered the two women. The alleged motive was human sacrifice for prosperity.
On October 11, Bhagaval Singh and his wife Laila were arrested over suspected human sacrifice. A body was exhumed from Pathanamthitta on the same day near Bhagaval Singh’s house. The police also arrested Mohammed Shafi alias Rashid, a man from Ernakulam, for the abduction and murder of the two women. The exhumed body was believed to be that of Padmam’s, and the police said that it was chopped into many pieces. The body was buried in a vacant plot that belonged to the couple’s relatives. The couple’s neighbours told the police that they have seen Shafi visit the couple’s house multiple times in the past few months.