New Delhi: The Aghori community in Ujjain has condemned a purportedly self-styled transgender practitioner, who was arrested after a video appeared to show the accused removing a piece from a funeral pyre and eating it at a cremation ground.
Community members told ThePrint that the act was “disrespectful” and that bail should be denied to the accused, whom police identified as Kali alias Nandigiti Shivvishnu Brahma.
Police said the accused was arrested Tuesday as the video of the incident at Chakratirth cremation ground in Ujjain went viral on social media.
The Aghori are a religious sect within Shaivism known for their unconventional practices. They live as ascetics, often near cremation grounds, where they meditate and perform rituals.
“Touching human body parts is not written in any scriptures, and the incident was done to highlight herself, bringing all Aghori babas in a bad light,” Ujjain-based Aghori practitioner Rajnath Pampi told ThePrint.
Police said the accused was arrested at the Jiwajigang Police Station as the viral video appeared to show a burning funeral pyre on one side and a Kinnar Aghori holding a sword on the other. The accused removes a piece from the pyre and appears to eat it on camera.
A senior police officer told ThePrint that on 30 August, the complainant, Vishnunath Ji Maharaj or Guru Bam-Bam Nath, lodged a report at the Jiwajiganj Police Station.
The complainant alleged that the accused—who lived near Sadu Mata ki Bawdi in Ujjain—had “committed an inhuman act” against a burning human corpse at the Chakratirth Crematorium. “The accused filmed the incident and uploaded it on Instagram, causing it to go viral,” he said.
This incident has raised questions about the Aghor tradition in whose name the act was allegedly carried out.
“The accused is an Aghori practitioner, but what they have done has brought shame to all of us. People’s body parts cannot be eaten. It is not written in any scriptures; we condemn this act. The accused could still secure bail, but we don’t want that to happen. We want them to be imprisoned; they should not repeat this,” Pandit and practitioner Jaydeep Dubey told ThePrint.
Ujjain-based Aghori practitioner Rajnath Pampi said that the incident had distorted their image.
He said that sadhus perform good work in the name of religion, whereas this act showed all Aghori babas in a bad light and seemed to have been done to attract attention.
“This is not written anywhere. The ashes can only be smeared on your body and forehead. One cannot touch a dead body’s parts,” Pampi said.
“What the accused did is completely wrong. No practitioner interferes with a funeral pyre. A genuine practitioner remains focused in their spiritual practice,” he added.
He said the community’s practices are meant to be spiritual and are not performed publicly.
Police will now examine the video, the funeral pyre, and other evidence connected with the incident.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
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