Shopian, May 25: In a tragic incident, a self-proclaimed faith healer allegedly beat a woman to death in south Kashmir’s Shopian district on Wednesday.
The deceased was identified as Souby Jan, wife of Muzafar Ahmad of Damhal Hanjopora, Kulgam.
The incident took place on Tuesday night when Ahmad took a ‘faith healer’ to his in-laws house in Hanjipora village of Shopian to ‘exorcise the evil spirits’ from his wife.
In a video, circulated online, the mother of the deceased woman said that the ‘faith healer’ beat his daughter and stomped on her feet. “She screamed for help and when I rushed to save her, the ‘faith healer’ also beat me”, she alleged.
She said that after her daughter fell unconscious, she was rushed to District Hospital Kulgam, where she died.
A police official said that the ‘faith healer’ identified as Zakir Ahmad Naik, a resident of Sangdan Qazigund along with the husband and brother of the deceased were arrested. He said that a case was registered and investigation initiated.