Under the guise of spiritual assistance, a group of pastors recently tortured an epilepsy patient in Punjab. The incident has gone viral in media.
Samuel lived with his wife Sunita and mother Rachel in a village of Gurdaspur district in Punjab. He had been suffering from fits for a long period. He was obviously an epilepsy patient, frequently getting seized.
The gullible family approached two pastors who made them believe against their will that Samuel has been possessed by an evil spirit. They advised exorcism to cure him and arrived at his home with seven or eight more pastors to assist them. The group of pastors went on beating, kicking and slapping Samuel, telling the helpless wife and mother that the torture was suffered only by the ghost and not by Samuel. After crushing him to pulp they tied him to a cot and left the place. Samuel died a little later.
Samuel was the only bread winner in the family. His mother, wife and three children are now left without any support. This bizarre incident makes us ask – when would our people acquire spirit of enquiry and scientific temper? Is there no end for irrational outlook and superstitions? Does beating a man to death, by the group of pastors, to expel the delusive evil spirit, make any sense? This is a thought provoking question.
