Superstitious family suspends body over river for two days to facilitate rebirth in northern India
by Komal Kashyap
Vijay Singh’s family resides in Jairampur Kudaina village of Jahangirabad police station in Bulandshahr. Vijay, an employee of the Income Tax Department in Delhi, has five children, with the youngest being Mohit Kumar, aged 20, who was pursuing his final year of B.Com studies. His uncle’s son, Jitendra, recounted that Mohit had cast his vote on April 26 and went for a walk in the fields around 7 pm, where he was bitten by a snake.
Mohit remained unconscious until some bystanders discovered him and informed his family members. A cloth was applied at the site of the snake bite to prevent the spread of poison throughout his body. However, instead of seeking immediate medical help, the family took him to a village exorcist, where the cloth was removed during the exorcism, further worsening his condition. Mohit, unable to speak due to a sore throat, managed to convey his discomfort through text messages on his mobile phone.
Subsequently, he was taken to the district hospital, where he was declared dead by the doctors. Despite medical confirmation of his demise, the family persisted in their belief that he was alive and transported him to Jahangirabad for further exorcism rituals, which lasted until the early hours of the morning. Realizing the futility of their efforts, they sought advice from another exorcist in Faridpur, who confirmed that there was no hope of revival.
In a desperate attempt to counteract the effects of the snakebite, someone suggested immersing Mohit’s body in the Ganges to neutralize the venom. Consequently, his body was taken to the Avantika Devi ghat, where it was tethered with ropes and stones and left in the river’s currents on April 27. Despite two days passing without any signs of life and noticeable discoloration and blistering on his lower body, the family eventually performed his last rites.
Jitendra recalled Mohit’s ambitious nature, with aspirations of achieving recognition significant enough to warrant newspaper coverage. Inspector Ramakant Pachauri of the Jahangirabad police station confirmed that the incident is under investigation and emphasized that no complaints have been filed. Any further actions will be taken based on the outcome of the investigation.