The horrific case of a five-year-old girl allegedly murdered and buried by a childless couple last week in Usgao has shaken the very core of our collective conscience. The sheer brutality of this crime is alarming enough, however, the muddled narrative surrounding the motives - initially described by police as a ritualistic human sacrifice aimed at facilitating conception - raises even more disturbing questions about people's engagement with superstition and the forces of darkness that lurk in the shadows.
For starters, police initially stated that the childless couple did the act believing that sacrificing a child would grant them the much-desired wish to conceive. In a country where stories of human sacrifice, or "Narabali," persist in folklore and are often sensationalized, one shudders to think what ramifications this might have had for Goa's image on a national scale. The horror of such a crime, aligned with dark practices akin to black magic, threatens to paint the state impoverished by ignorance and superstition.
However, a day later, the police pivoted to a different explanation, attributing the girl's murder to an elusive feud between families rather than a ritualistic motive. This abrupt change elicits scepticism and raises suspicion of the police trying to distance themselves from the stigma of alleged human sacrifice, fearing that the clandestine allure of black magic could have repercussions. The inconsistency in narratives only serves to muddy an already disturbing incident and conceal the dark underbelly of society.
The presence of black magic in Goa is undeniably intertwined with its socio-cultural fabric. Despite legal prohibitions - like the Anti-Superstition and Black Magic Act - these practices have stubbornly persisted, and practitioners have taken the internet route to announce themselves -- from love spells, cleansing, change in fortune and enemy elimination. This thriving market, filled with occult promises, reveals a disconcerting truth of people willing to turn to dark alternatives when faced with personal hardship. Practitioners have flourished because there is a market for their services.
The tension between tradition and modernity, rational thought and superstition, manifests dramatically in regions like Goa because superstition is taken very seriously. While the law seeks to regulate these beliefs, what remains evident is a deep-rooted cultural acceptance of magical thinking as a way to solve life's problems. And there are many who believe in this route. The state's failure to effectively curb the promotion of such practices not only inflicts harm on vulnerable populations but also creates a breeding ground for tragic incidents like the Usgao killing.
The Usgao tragedy serves as a grim reminder of the lengths desperation can drive people toward - be it childless couples seeking hope or individuals lured by the false promises of debunked practices. It brings into sharp focus two aspects -- the failure to educate people on the perilous distance between such belief and actionable reality.
While the initial announcement of human sacrifice still rankles, it raises fundamental questions about education, belief systems, and the urgent need for a collective stand against superstition. As a society, we must confront the shadows of ignorance that lurk in our midst, advocating for a society grounded in reason, empathy, and above all, humanity. While people attempt to see reason, the police, whatever the motive behind the Usgao murder, must nip all 'black magic' promos in the bud. In the modern era of online marketing, the police cannot be mute spectators to such societal evils.
