Headless Body Found Near Assam Temple, Cops Say ‘Human Sacrifice’

The body was found wrapped in a blanket near Kamakhya temple, the police said.

Headless body of a woman was found near the Kamakhya temple atop the Nilachal Hill in Assam’s Guwahati on Wednesday, 19 June, ahead of the annual religious fair on the occasion of Ambubachi festival, police said, according to PTI.

The body was found wrapped in a blanket on the steps leading to the Banadurga temple, adjacent to the main Kamakhya temple, police said.

Items used in offering prayers and a pair of woman's sandals were also recovered from the site, the police said.

Guwahati Commissioner of Police Deepak Kumar, who visited the site, said security arrangements have been intensified in view of the gruesome death.

‘Could Be a Case of Human Sacrifice’

The police also found an earthen lamp, an earthen pot, a packet of food, a handfan and slippers near the body, according to The Indian Express.

According to DCP of Guwahati West KK Chowdhury, the presence of the earthen lamp and a pot suggests that a religious ritual might have taken place. “Prima facie it appears that it could be a case of human sacrifice and we are investigating that angle,” Chowdhury told The Indian Express.

Police teams have been sent to all prominent cremation grounds and the hunt for the killer is on, Chowdhury said.

“We are investigating the case, this was done by someone superstitious, there is no need for people to be scared.” 

Devraj Upadhyay, Joint Commissioner of Police to ANI

Assam Chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal had on Tuesday, 20 June, visited the temple premises and reviewed preparations for the annual socio-spiritual congregation from 22-25 June.

During the four-day Ambubachi festival, Devi Kamakhya is believed to go through her annual cycle of menstruation. The doors of the temple are closed for the devotees and regular rituals are suspended for four days, reported PTI.

Likening the earth to Devi Kamakhya, no agricultural activity is undertaken during the period. On the fifth day, devotes are allowed to enter the temple only after the 'shuddhi' or the ritualistic bath of the deity.

Over 25 lakh devotees from across the country and abroad are expected to visit the five-day festival, official sources told PTI.

(With inputs from PTI, ANI and The Indian Express.)