In a gesture not even close to a prayer, a 35-year-old man from the West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh slit a part of his tongue and dropped it in the hundi of Venkateswara Swamy temple in Hyderabad’s Sri Nagar colony, just ahead of the Telangana polls.

The incident

In a letter that the police found, the man, Mahesh, wrote that he wished that certain politicians would become Chief Ministers of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. However, which party he really supported in the future polls is not clear.

“At the temple, he used a blade to slit his tongue. A letter was found in his possession, in which it was mentioned that he wants to see two prominent politicians as the Chief Ministers of the two Telugu states. It also mentions his wishes of becoming a minister in the AP cabinet,” Banjara Hills inspector Govinda Reddy told The Times of India.

From a private hospital where he had to be rushed, Mahesh was then shifted to Osmania General Hospital. According to Resident Medical officer Dr Aruradha, his condition is now stable.

Mahesh might be a ‘repeat offender’

The News Minute reported that Mahesh may be a ‘repeat offender’, as a man identified as Mahesh had done the same thing at the same temple in 2009 too.

Mahesh had claimed to be an ardent follower of Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, and had resorted to the act in an attempt to ‘sacrifice’ to God for the leader’s success. The act was repeated by him during the 2004 elections also.

The Logical Indian take

Blind belief in supernatural powers with no scientific reasoning behind it is the cause of disasters of this kind. A global paradox, superstition in the country is a serious issue and holds back, at every step, the development of the nation. While harmless superstitions, like a car avoiding crossing a road after a cat crosses it, are overlooked every day, such superstitious outlook might grow into something more severe in the future.

Praying for anyone’s well-being or victory in the temple is an appreciable fact, but harming oneself for the same is unacceptable. Just as the country claims to have realized how wrong the practice of Sati and witchcraft were, it is time it realized that even the smallest act of superstition is equally wrong, and might lead to a greater tragedy.

The Logical Indian urges the people of the country to be sensible, rational and look at situations with an open mind.

Also Read: Fighting Superstition: TDP MLA Spends Night In The Crematorium To Drive Away Fear Of ‘Spirits’