Ignorance has no boundaries as a fake spiritual healer (pir) killed a boy in Muzaffargarh after burning his face with coal in an attempt “to remove evil spirits from his body”. But another depressing fact is that the boy’s family is now resisting police’s efforts to exhume the body for autopsy.

The incident, which occurred at Sanawan located near the Mehmood Kot town of Muzaffargarh district, was discussed in 24@9 – the daily morning show – aired by 24NewsHD TV channel on Thursday.

Sharing the details, Muzaffargarh DPO Mehmood Abbas told the morning show hosts that the boy was killed on July 9. The victim, 14-year-old Sajid, had been ill for the last three weeks or so and his father Mukhtiar carried him to the fake pir, Abdul Ghaffar, he added.

The fake pir had told Mukhtar that the boy was under the influence of evil spirits/ jinn, which required exorcism. During this so-called treatment lasting for over 90 minutes, even coal was placed on his face, causing severe burns.

Later, the boy was shifted back to his home, as the spiritual healer promised that the boy would soon get well. However, his condition deteriorated, forcing the family to contact the pir again. But he promised early recovery and even sent his brother to check the boy. After two to three hours, the boy succumbed to his injuries.

According to the DPO, the boy was buried on the next day, July 10, when they received information about the tragedy. The police approached the family on July 11 and a case was registered on July 12.

But it was necessary to conduct a post-mortem like any other murder case. So the police approached the area magistrate to get orders for exhuming the body on July 16. The boy’s family was also present on the occasion. But things changed during this period as the family resisted the exhumation process on that day and obtained a stay order from a court.

The matter would be heard on July 24, said the DPO who added that the two parties had reached some sort an out-of-court settlement. But he said such a deal was of no legal status as the police had also included Section 311-A in the case, which barred the very idea of out-of-court settlement.