Family slapped with Rs 50,000 fine for ‘buying a ghost’

Bhopal: In a bizarre incident, a khap panchayat in a Madhya Pradesh village has slapped a fine of Rs 50,000 for buying a ghost, leading to tragic incidents of “unnatural” deaths in the area.

Omkar Singh Warkade, a resident of Birjadandi village under Jamunia police station in Mandla district of east MP, on Saturday lodged a complaint with the local superintendent of police (SP) seeking his intervention to end ordeal of his family members.

“The villager has brought his ordeal to the notice of the SP in the latter’s public grievance redressal programme in the district headquarters town of Mandla. The SP has assured him of appropriate action in the matter,” a senior district police officer said.

According to the police, the village has of late witnessed deaths of some people due to snake bites and various ailments.

Superstition has driven the locals to believe that a spirit has cast an evil spell on the village causing such tragedies. The villagers had then approached the local priest-cum-witch doctor to free the village of “the curse”.

The priest pronounced that a person in Jamunia has bought a ghost to harass the villagers.

“The panchayat in the village declared that Omkar has bought a ghost which cast an evil spell on them. The panchayat ordered social boycott of the Omkar and his family and slapped a fine of Rs 50,000 on them to perform rituals to exorcise the spirit”, the police officer quoting Omkar said on Saturday.