Fearing 'Dosham' : Suryapet woman sacrifices 6-month-old daughter to save family

Hyderabad: A 32-year-old woman killed her six-month-old daughter in an attempt to protect themselves from 'dosham' (cruse) at Mothe in Suryapet district late on Thursday. The woman, Banoth Bharathi, slit her daughter's throat with a kitchen knife and also cut the tip of her tongue while laying the child in front of photos of gods at their home.

After killing the child, she informed her parents who stay in the neighborhood and told them that if the child is alive, it will bring a curse to the family.

Bharathi had completed her B.Sc and B.Ed and had even appeared for constable and sub-inspector exams but could not clear them. According to the police, she had married a man as per her family's wish. However, the couple separated and later were divorced. She then married Krishna, her school friend. Her parents were against the marriage as Krishna was physically challenged but the duo eloped. The family tracked them and got the two married.

For the past few years, Bharathi had been spending her time on YouTube watching videos of religious rituals, of people being released from curses (dosham) and on how to offer penance for the welfare of the family.

A month after she gave birth to her first child, a girl, she started telling her husband and other family members that Lord Shiva was talking to her and that she was an incarnation of Shiva. She also said that there was a 'Naga Dosham' in their family and that she will save them from the dosham.

Apart from watching religious videos, Bharathi spent her time performing pujas. Even while eating, she kept beside her lemon, turmeric, and other things used in pujas. She said they would protect them from the effects of the dosham.

On Thursday, her husband had gone to a neighboring town, her sick father-in-law was resting, and her mother-in-law was in the fields. Around 5.30 p.m, kids from the neighboring houses came to Bharathi's home to play with the infant but found her in a pool of blood. The children went home and informed their parents thinking the child had suffered a head injury.

Meanwhile, Bharathi went to her parent's home and told them the dosham in their family was gone forever as she had offered her child to the gods. Shocked parents rushed to her home and found the child dead.

Later, the police rushed to the spot and started an investigation. They found that the woman's family members had noticed her weird behaviour and taken her to many tantriks for healing but nothing had worked. The police said she would be arrested and produced before the court.