The Indian doctor fighting to protect people against harm and ‘entrenched beliefs’ of black magic
- Psychiatrist Dr Hamid Dabholkar grew up hearing his father rage against black magic practitioners who prey on poor and ignorant Indians
- But both rural Indians and educated people in big cities are equally susceptible to irrationalism and belief in fake godmen, he says
Frantic over their baby’s persistent cough, an Indian couple in Gujarat recently sought the services of a faith healer, who used a “hot-rod treatment”, in the latest public case of black magic in the country.
The two-month-old girl was rushed to hospital after the healer pressed a red-hot iron rod on her chest and stomach to remove evil spirits. She remains in an intensive care unit, where doctors say she is in a stable condition.
In Madhya Pradesh, two other infants were not as lucky. One of them was branded with a hot iron 20 times by an exorcist, and the other was burned 50 times in a separate case.
Such stories only strengthen Dr Hamid Dabholkar’s resolve to educate people about the harms brought by so-called faith healers, fake godmen and their ilk.
“This hot-rod ‘treatment’ is common. The quack says someone has cast the evil eye on the child and it must be removed this way. This is a deep-rooted belief in villages,” said the 45-year-old psychiatrist.
Dr Dabholkar, who practises in the neighbouring state of Maharashtra, grew up hearing his father rage against black magic practitioners that prey on poor and ignorant Indians.
After his father was shot dead in 2013 while leading a march against superstition in Pune, Dr Dabholkar vowed to keep up the fight.
He recently opened a clinic in Parbhani to help victims. Anyone walking through the door, usually those who have tried black magic, will receive treatment, counselling and proper medication.
