Villagers in Telangana Exhume Dalit Man's Body to Ward off Evil, Ensure Rains

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The incident took place in Kommala village of Telangana, where the body of Midthanapalli Bhiksham, 50, was illegally exhumed, and the skull was separated from the bones and consigned to the flames.

In a chilling incident from a village in Telangana, the body of a Dalit man, who drowned in a village tank nine months ago, was dug up earlier this month to ward off evil and ensure rains. The remains were apparently moved as the villagers believed that his grave brought the village under "evil spell", a report by The Hindu said.

The incident took place in Kommala village of Telangana, where the body of Midthanapalli Bhiksham, 50, was illegally exhumed, and the skull was separated from the bones and consigned to the flames. Two days later, on Tuesday, his family learnt about the deed from their neighbours.

The victim had been found dead on December 22, 2018 after he went missing 7 days ago, when he had left home to tend the cattle. His decomposed body was recovered from the sludge of the Kodur village tank. An in situ post-mortem was conducted on December 23 in the presence of police, revenue and medical officials, following which the remains were buried on the tank bund, the family said.

Reportedly, a group of caste Hindus and SCs, including the village sarpanch’s son, all members of TRS, had raised objections on August 28 this year and ordered immediate shifting of the remains. However, none of the residents of Kommala or Kodur village, to whom the tank belongs, had opposed the burial initially.

“They said the village was under evil spell due to Bhiksham’s grave,” The Hindu quoted S Venkataiah, the victim’s brother-in-law as saying. Giving in to the pressure, the family had agreed to shift the grave but had sought the time of 10 days.

However, before the family could shift the remains, a fishermen of Kodur, saw large tyre marks on the grave site on September 1. The marks indicated the use of a tractor or an excavator to move the skeletal remains.

According to Arvapally police, the accused have confessed to the deed and measures are being taken to restore the dignity of the dead. “The accused have confessed to their mistake. Dignity of the dead, and the family, will be restored and the accused are constructing a new grave. There is no case; it has been settled,” sub-inspector P Lokesh said.