In a bizarre superstitious incident, a marriage between an 11-month-old girl and a stray dog was solemnisedon Sunday in the tribals-dominated Nilgiri block in Baleswar district.
Although tying nuptial knot with a dog is not new in India (earlier reported in Jharkhand in September, 2014 and other parts), yet the latest event in Nilgiri has reasserted that superstitious beliefs still prevail in the tribal communities, even in the 21st century.
According to the belief of the community in Nilgiri, by conducting such rituals, they ward off the evil effects on the girl.
The incident occurred at Gopalpur village under Ayodhya police limits.
Not only the parents and relatives of the infant, but the whole tribal community members attended the special wedding rituals.
According to father of the toddler Biswanath Singh, his daughter was suffering from various sickness since birth. Besides, her first tooth sprouted in the upper jaw, which was bad for her health.
As per the community’s belief, in case of canine, the teeth emerge in the upper jaw first. Since in the case of the girl, the first tooth appeared in the upper jaw, she was shrouded with dog’s fault, which was bad for her health.
To ward off the evil effects, a search was made for a dog. Bidyadhar Singh became the father of the bridegroom (dog) after identifying the canine. The wedding was solemnised as per the tribal customs.
