A 37-year-old woman has been booked by Kerala Police under charges that accuse her of culpable homicide after a black magic ritual she was performing went awry and her 'client' — a woman who approached her to perform black magic to get rid of some personal problems — was badly burnt in the process.
Black magic is an illegal practice in India, and falls under superstition. Several rationalists across the country fight against it, and have been targeted for their work, as part of which they expose proponents and practitioners of black magic for the fraudsters they are and the dangers such practices pose.
The victim in the current case — a 27-year-old woman named Shemina, who stays in Vellayil near Kozhikode in Kerala — got a first-hand taste of that danger when she approached Najima to seek solution for some personal problems.
Shemina asked Najima to perform some black magic, and the latter agreed, setting up what has been described by local reports as a crude ritual based around a 'homa kundam' — a ceremonial fire that burns throughout many religious rituals. However, trouble started when Najima tried to stoke the burning fire.
According to Shemina's statement to police, Najima directly poured petrol into the homa kundam, leading to a roaring blaze that soon engulfed the entire room where the ritual was taking place. A badly burnt Shemina was rushed to hospital by her relatives, where it came to light that she sustained 60 percent burns on her body.
Najima was subsequently arrested from Purameri village in Kozhikode, and charged under sections 324 (causing hurt by dangerous weapons) and 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide) of the Indian Penal Code. She has been sent to 14 days of judicial custody.
