The severed head and torso of a man has been found in a temple in the Indian state of West Bengal in what the police say is a case of "human sacrifice".

The head and the body were found at the local temple to the goddess Kali near Chotomakdampur village in the western district of Birbhum.

Police say they have detained a tribal villager for questioning.

Human sacrifice is illegal in India. But a few cases do occur in remote and underdeveloped regions.

"This man has been sacrificed to propitiate the gods," said local official Kalyan Mukherjee.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8624269.stm

Disgusting. Given that certain Hindu sects do have cannibalistic rituals, I wonder if he was eaten?

I heard of a rash of similar cases a few years ago in a similarly poverty-stricken and uneducated area. When it became apparent that sacrificing their precious livestock to Kali was no longer sufficient to ease their suffering, the people of the region were ignorant and desperate enough to engage in human sacrifice. The truly disturbing element is the fact that the "holy" men told the villagers that their offerings would be more pleasing to the gods (i.e. more likely to succeed) if the object of the sacrifice was very dear to the one performing the ritual.

These grotesque rituals were brought to a halt when a mother reported the disappearance of her eight-year-old son. When the authorities investigated, they found evidence of several sacrifices and remains. The boy's uncle was questioned and admitted sacrificing his own nephew - cutting the top of his head off in such a way that he would have known what was happening - just so that Kali would (*not*) grant him fortune and prosperity.

Heartbreaking, really.

Horrific as it is, it is no more irrational than sacrificing animals.