Karad child sacrifice: cops zero in on godman

Suspect he advised family to kill child to ward off curse; Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti says govt should realise need for anti-superstition law after case near CM's hometown

Karad child sacrifice: cops zero in on godman

Suspect he advised family to kill child to ward off curse; Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti says govt should realise need for anti-superstition law after case near CM's hometown

The Karad rural police have zeroed in on a godman who allegedly advised some members of the Kakade family to sacrifice four-year-old Pranav to ward off an evil spell. Police sources said the godman was from Karad taluka and they were on the lookout for him to arrest him. The child sacrifice at Dhondewadi village near Chief Minister's hometown Karad had shocked society early this week.

Back ACT: The MiD DAY report on Wednesday on the child sacrifice at
Dhondewadi village; ANS founder Narendra Dabholkar visits the
village, where four-year-old Pranav Kakade was killed by his relatives.
Pic/Raju Sanadi

Andhashraddha Nirmulan Samiti founder Narendra Dabholkar, who paid visit to Dhondewadi on Wednesday, reiterated his demand that the anti-superstition law should be enacted at the earliest. He said the case of child sacrifice at Dhondewadi was a blot on humanity. After visiting Pranav's distraught parents, he told MiD DAY that it was "extremely unfortunate" that the incident had taken place near the Chief Minister's hometown and he hoped that at least this would make the government realise the importance of having an anti-superstition law.

He added that Dhondewadi was just two kilometres from Kale, where the education-for-all movement Rayat Shikshan Sanstha started in 1923. "That such incidents take place in Satara district, which has a tradition of education, is very unfortunate," he said. Dabholkar visited the grieving parents of Pranav, who was allegedly killed by his grandmother Vimal and two other relatives, out of superstition.

Reacting to the alleged involvement of a godman in the sacrifice, Dabholkar said a list of self-styled godmen should be maintained at each police station to avoid such crimes in the future. "This will act as a deterrent to such crimes in the future," he said. The Karad rural police are trying to trace the alleged godman who might have advised the family for human sacrifice. "Many names are cropping up, but we are trying to ascertain the identity of the main suspect," said Police Inspector Barkat Mujwar. Sources said the police were not disclosing the godman's identity as they feared this would alert him.

Candlelight vigil
Villagers of Dhodewadi organised candlelight vigil at the grampachayat office yesterday in memory of Pranav.
A similar vigil was organised in Satara city and an awareness lecture on superstitions was delivered.