Mumbai Toddler Tortured in Bhandup “Exorcism”; Couple Arrested Under Anti‑Superstition Law

 In a harrowing incident from Bhandup, a married couple allegedly subjected a toddler to brutal physical abuse in the name of an “exorcism” to remove supposed evil spirits. The boy, less than two years old, sustained burn injuries from matchsticks, was beaten with sticks and brooms, and had his hair pulled before being rushed to a hospital.

The accused—Vaibhav Kokre and Harshada Gurav—had lured the child’s mother into living with them by promising her a job. After gaining her trust, they allegedly confined her, took away her phone, and coerced her into making false accusations against her paralysed husband.

In the early hours of the morning, the couple claimed to have received a “divine message” revealing that the child was possessed. They then carried out a violent so-called “cleansing ritual” that left the child physically traumatised.

Police have arrested the couple under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Maharashtra Prevention & Eradication of Human Sacrifice and Other Inhuman, Evil Practices and Black Magic Act, 2013. The boy is now receiving medical treatment and is under police protection.

The case underscores growing concerns about the persistence of superstitious and inhumane practices under the guise of faith and the critical need for enforcement of Maharashtra’s anti-superstition law.

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