BALASORE: In a spine chilling incident, a tribal woman was forced by her family to offer blood by piercing sensitive parts of her body in order to propitiate the Goddess for prosperity.It took place in her husband’s house at Olmara village under Raibania police limits of the district.
On Wednesday night, her brother took her to a room where her parents, brother’s wife and mother-in-law were present. They told her that she has to offer blood to the Goddess during a puja for the prosperity of the entire family.
When she refused, her family members pinned her down to the floor by holding her hands and legs while her mother-in-law pierced her head, eyes and other parts of the body with a bamboo thorn.The blood oozing out of the wounds was then smeared on a skull looking like object as part of rituals. The women’s husband, however, was unaware of the torture as the room was locked from inside.
On hearing her shrieks in pain, he forced open the door of the room to see her bloodied all over.He called the villagers who wanted to rush her to hospital but were opposed by her family and brother’s mother-in-law who said she should not be moved till the end of the puja.
Enraged villagers scolded them for resorting to such superstition and took the injured woman to Hatigarh Community Health Centre. Later, she was shifted to Balasore district headquarters hospital as her condition was critical.
Sources said the mother-in-law of the woman’s elder brother had told her family members to perform the rituals for their prosperity.While the woman is undergoing treatment, no case was registered at the police station till the report was filed.