A 30-year-old Indian man from the state of Punjab was thrashed to death, allegedly by a pastor and eight others in an attempt "to get his body rid of the devil."
The victim, identified as Samuel Masih, a resident of Singhpura village in Punjab's Gurdaspur district, was suffering from seizures and used to scream, police said.
Pastor Told Family Samuel was Possessed by the Devil and an Exorcism Would Have to be Performed
The family then showed him to a local pastor identified as Jacob Masih to their home to hold a prayer for Samuel last week, when the pastor told them he was possessed by the devil.
The pastor, along with eight others then attempted to perform an exorcism and started beating Samuel up, telling his family that it would "force the devil away" from his body, they added. He assured the family that nothing would happen to Masih, police said. Samuel, a daily wager, was so badly beaten that he died on the spot.
Family Filed a Complaint Against the Pastor After Samuel's Death
The family buried him the next day, police said. Two days after the incident, Samuel's mother and his wife filed a complaint against the pastor.
Samuel's body was exhumed for a post-mortem examination on Saturday. The entire exercise was conducted under the supervision of duty magistrate Inderjit Kaur, police said.
A case has been registered against the pastor and eight others under the relevant sections of the law, police added.
