Medininagar: A tragic incident in Jharkhand’s Palamu district has claimed the lives of five members of the same family within ten days, with health authorities investigating whether the consumption of ash on the advice of a local occult practitioner contributed to the deaths.
The incident occurred in Sikka village under Padwa block. According to officials, the family reportedly relied on faith healing alongside medical treatment and had been consuming ash prescribed by an occultist, locally known as an ojha, instead of depending solely on scientific medical care.
Health officials suspect that this practice may have worsened the patients’ condition. However, they stressed that the exact cause of death will only be known after forensic examination of viscera samples and laboratory analysis of the materials collected during the investigation.
The tragedy began on June 19 with the death of the family’s head, Kuldeep Mahto. His daughter died the following day. Despite the deaths, other family members reportedly continued visiting an occult practitioner in Purnadih under Lesliganj while undergoing treatment, where they were allegedly advised to consume ash.
Kuldeep Mahto’s second daughter, Indu Kumari, died on June 26. His daughter-in-law, Shweta Kumari, passed away on June 28, while his son, Nakul Mahto, died on June 29 during treatment at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi.
Three other members of the family — Kuldeep Mahto’s wife, Lakho Devi, another son and a grandson — are currently undergoing treatment at RIMS. Doctors said all of them initially developed swelling before their condition rapidly deteriorated.
A team from the Health Department has reached both Sikka village and Purnadih to investigate the case. Officials have collected samples of the ash allegedly consumed by the family, along with food items and other materials from their home for laboratory testing.
Palamu Civil Surgeon Dr. Anil Kumar Srivastava said the family had been repeatedly advised to seek proper hospital treatment but continued to rely on both medical care and faith-healing practices. He confirmed that the ash samples have been sent for examination.
The viscera of all five deceased family members have been preserved at Medinirai Medical College and Hospital and will undergo forensic analysis to determine the precise cause of death.
Doctors also said that, based on preliminary observations, the possibility of dropsy has not been ruled out. As part of the investigation, commonly used household items, including mustard oil, are also being tested to determine whether contamination or adulteration may have played a role in the deaths.
With inputs from IANS