A self-styled ‘aghori’ who has been active on social media, Kali Nand Giri, has been arrested after she was filmed eating human flesh from a burning funeral pyre in Ujjain district, a police officer said on Thursday.
Ujjain superintendent of police Pradeep Sharma said a case was registered under Section 301 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on a complaint by Vishnunath Maharaj, who lives at the cremation ground in Ujjain. Section 301 deals with trespassing on burial places, disturbing funeral ceremonies, or indignity to a human corpse.
“She was arrested (on Tuesday). The court remanded her in judicial custody for 15 days,” Sharma said.
In the alleged video, the accused is seen standing near a burning pyre with a sword in her hand and, at one point, is seen eating flesh from the pyre. The police complaint was filed after a video of the incident surfaced.
According to the complaint received by Ujjain’s Jiwajiganj police station, Giri was born a man, Alluri Srinivas, and has adopted the identity of a transgender person.
Cops probing ‘Lady Aghori’s’ source of income
She has a presence on social media where she is referred to as ‘Lady Aghori’ in Ujjain. Her videos, often filmed at temples and religious sites, feature spiritual rituals and statements on Sanatan Dharma.
The SP said a detailed probe has been initiated into Giri’s antecedents after coming across complaints that she deceived a female student in Telangana and took ₹10 lakh from another woman on the pretext of performing a tantric ritual.
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“We are gathering details (about the cases) and sources of her income,” Sharma said.
According to PTI, 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.
