Human sacrifice? Woman's headless body found near Assam's Kamakhya temple

A possible human sacrifice has been reported from Assam after the headless body of a woman was found near the ancient Kamakhya temple at Nilachal in Guwahati on Wednesday evening.

The woman's body was found wrapped in a blanket at the stairs of Nilachal hill near the temple of Goddess Kamakhya, which was infamous for human sacrifices. The post-mortem is likely to be conducted on Thursday to ascertain the cause of death.

The incident took place three days before the Ambubachi Mela, which celebrates the menstruation period of Goddess Kamakhya. The temple will remain shut during the four-day festival which begins from June 22. The mela is popular among the tantriks.

The police suspect it to be a case of human sacrifice due to the temple's history with such practices. Earthen light, flowers, incense sticks, food packet, slippers and a hand fan were found near the victim's body that was in a semi-naked state, making the authorities believe that some kind of rituals were conducted there. The initial probe revealed that there were no struggle marks or injuries on the victim's body.

However, the police have not ruled out murder angle as the criminals could have done so to make it look like human sacrifice. The police are investigating over the incident and have formed teams to nab the culprit.