A 19-year-old woman in Telangana was hospitalised with severe burns after a man claiming to be a healer allegedly made her walk on burning coals to ‘exorcise’ her after her parents sought help to address perceived mental health problems. The incident happened on May 13 and came to light through media reports this week, after which police registered a case and arrested the man, identified as Rafiq. The self-proclaimed godman working out of a dargah in Naskal village was reportedly consulted by several people every Friday. After he forced the woman to walk on coals, she suffered third-degree burns and is now battling for her life at a local hospital.
Parigi DSP (Deputy Superintendent of Police) Srinivas told NTV that the parents of the young woman, who is a first-year degree student, felt she had been ‘behaving strangely’ for a few days. They felt she seemed to not be in a good mental state, as they often observed her talking to herself and refusing to eat properly. On consulting with some relatives, they were advised to take her to Rafiq, who had been operating out of a dargah in Naskal for about two years, where people gathered on Fridays to consult him for different problems. According to the DSP, Rafiq had claimed that he gained special powers.
When the woman’s parents, who are from Dharur in the Vikarabad district, visited Rafiq with their daughter, he reportedly told them that she was possessed by evil spirits and needed to undergo an exorcism. The woman’s mother told the media that on May 13, Rafiq forced her daughter to walk on the coals. “She collapsed and fell down on the coals. I don’t know if this made him angry, he then stepped down on her feet with his feet,” the mother said.
A doctor treating the woman told the media that she had suffered full-thickness burns or third-degree burns on both legs. “The muscle was also damaged along with skin, and we had to perform debridement surgery to remove the infected tissue. The right foot is more affected, and if the infection is not controlled, we might have to amputate the lower leg. She is in sepsis so there is still a threat to her life,” he said.
The Parigi DSP advised people against consulting such men, and asked them to seek help from qualified professionals. “For psychological problems, there are psychiatrists. Other doctors are available to help with different issues. She was already in a disturbed state, and she was hurt further by him. We advise parents not to consult with the wrong people over such matters,” he said.
With PTI inputs