A couple was found deceased by their children after participating in a ritual sacrifice that required them to decapitate themselves with a homemade guillotine.
*This story contains graphic details of suicide and triggering content; reader discretion is advised*
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Local police identified the couple as 38-year-old Hemubhai Makwana and his wife Hansaben Makwana,35, and said their headless bodies were discovered by their children, aged 12 and 13. The ritual sacrifice occurred at their home in the village of Vinchiya, located in the Rajkot district of the western state of Gujarat, as reported by MEAWW.
Vinchhiya Police sub-inspector Indrajeetsinh Jadeja said the couple was engaged in a sacrificial “ritual” which required them to start a fire altar before placing their heads in a homemade guillotine “held by a rope.” He said, “As soon as they released the rope, an iron blade fell on them, severing their heads, which rolled into the fire.” Their children visited their uncle in a nearby village when the gruesome act occurred.
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Authorities said the couple had sent their children to the nearby village a day before and found a suicide writing in Gujarati, which said the couple had voluntarily taken their own lives. No one else was involved in their deaths. The note reportedly appealed to their relatives to care for the couple’s elderly parents and two children.
“We are recording statements of the family members and trying to know the reason behind the couple’s extreme step,” Jadeja said in a follow-up statement. Hansa’s cousin, Jayanti Jatapara, stated that the couple had no financial or family problems. A year before their deaths, the couple performed daily worship to the Hindu deity, Shiva, at a temple on their land.
Shiva is a major deity in Hinduism and is considered one of the three primary gods of the religion, along with Brahma and Vishnu. He is often called the “Destroyer” or “Transformer” within the Hindu trinity of gods and is associated with various aspects of Hindu mythology and philosophy.
In Hindu mythology, Shiva is known for his power and asceticism. He is often depicted as having matted hair, a third eye on his forehead, and a crescent moon on his head. He is also associated with the Ganges River, which is said to flow from his hair and is often depicted in a meditative or ecstatic state.
It is also worth noting that no evidence suggests that any mainstream religion or belief system in India promotes or condones human sacrifice. All major religions in India, including Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, and Christianity, explicitly prohibit any form of human sacrifice.