Baliguda
: In a bizarre attempt to cure disability, a handicapped priest sustained severe burn injuries after he was made to hang head down over fire during a secret ritual at Mahamayee Temple in Baliguda of Kandhamal district.
Though the incident took place a few days back, the matter came to light Friday morning after a video of the incident shot by an onlooker went viral on social media platforms.
The youth has been identified as Bhabani Shankar Nanda.
“It was my decision to hang myself upside down and go through the rituals as part of a penance to get rid of my disability,” Shankar said.
According to sources, the incident took place September 8. Nanda had a dream in which he was directed by the Goddess that if he follows the ritual, he will be cured of all his deformities.
Believing the dream to be a divine suggestion, he went ahead and conducted the ritual with the help of fellow priests.
In the video, he can be seen hanging upside down holding a ‘trident’ in his hand over the holy hearth, while other priests hurled ‘jhuna’ (incense) powder to invoke the fire. Even as he suffered burn injuries due to the flames, he continued with the superstitious act of self-medication.
After a while, he lost his grip and was about to fall on the hearth when fellow patients rescued him. “I had gone to another temple when this incident happened. I came to know about it later in the day,” Bhabani’s mother, Pramila Nanda said.
President of Maa Mahamayi Temple, Mukta Nayak said “He suffered injuries after he came in contact with hot sand. We immediately rescued him,” he added.
Meanwhile, police have launched an investigation into the case.
PNN
