Eunuch practising ‘aghori’ asceticism held for eating human flesh

Ujjain: A eunuch practising ‘aghori’ asceticism was arrested on Tuesday, September 3, for allegedly consuming human flesh from a burning pyre at a crematorium in Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain, a police official said.

Aghori are a small Hindu sect known for their extreme ascetic practices, often living near cremation grounds.

A video of the incident had been doing rounds on social media platforms over the past few days, following which a local committee named Senapati Kaal Bhairav filed a complaint at the Jiwajiganj police station.

In the alleged video, the accused is seen standing near a burning pyre with a sword in her hand. She is also seen eating flesh from the pyre.

Based on the complaint, the police registered a case and began searching for the accused.

According to the police, Kali alias Nand Giri, who claims to be an ‘aghori’ and Mahamandaleshwar of the Kinnar Akhara, filmed the incident at the Chakratirtha crematorium and uploaded it to her Instagram account.

City Superintendent of Police (CSP) Pushpa Prajapati said that the accused was arrested under sections 301 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and 25 of the Arms Act, and presented before the court of a first-class judicial magistrate.

Mahamandaleshwar Shaileshanand Giri of the Juna Akhara condemned the incident, stating that such acts cannot be tolerated in a civilised society.

“It is important to keep aghori sadhana confidential; it cannot be made public. Any practitioner who makes it public is likely to be a fraudster. It must be understood that such acts, which depict the consumption of human flesh, fall under the category of vampirism,” he said.