Faith Healer Allegedly Brands 7-Month-Old Baby With Hot Iron To 'Cure' illness

In a shocking incident, a faith healer has been charged after he branded a seven-month-old unwell baby with a hot iron, apparently to "cure" his illness. The child has ended up in hospital after his health condition worsened.

Police have registered a case against the healer, who engages in superstitious rituals in his hometown in the Indian state of Rajasthan Friday, reports The Times of India. The man's identity has not been revealed yet.

Reports said the child, identified as the son of a laborer named Shambhu Bheel in the town of Ajmer, had severe cold and fever for the last few days. He was being treated at a nearby government dispensary, but his illness did not subside.

The mother, upset over the baby's persistent fever, sought the advice of a neighbor who told her about the "powers" of the faith healer who lived in the nearby village. On hearing this, the woman took the child to the man Thursday, who branded it with a hot iron to "cure" him.

However, the child's condition deteriorated, following which he was rushed to a hospital. The staff, on seeing the burns, alerted the police.

The child's parents spilled the beans about the ritual and the man during questioning. Officers immediately registered a case, and an investigation is on. However, the accused is said to be absconding, reports added.

The rural parts of India have often been plagued by superstitions and faith healers, a phenomenon which was pronounced during the country's devastating COVID second wave and vaccination drives. Many Indian states have passed laws against superstitious practices. A recent plea filed before the court said over 2,500 women lost their lives in the name of witchcraft in the last 15 years.

Many similar incidents were reported earlier too. Recently, a 25-year-old woman was mercilessly beaten to death with a hot iron chain by a local exorcist in a bid to cure her of the "angry deity, which possessed her body." After the incident came to light, police arrested five people, including the exorcist. Reports said her family took the woman to the exorcist after the woman was seen shaking vigorously during a religious ritual.