Headless body of a women was recovered in Nilachal Hills some 200 metres from Kamakhya PS on Wednesday evening, barely 48 hours before the annual Ambubachi Mela.
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The incident took place around 7 pm on Wednesday evening when some locals spotted the headless body lying near the staircase leading to the Joy Durga temple.
Some assorted stuff, normally used during worship, were also spread near the body and this has led many to suspect it to be a case of human sacrifice.
The recovery also made a mockery of the security arrangements of the Assam police, who claimed to have arranged tight security arrangements in and around Kamakhya Temple atop Nilachal Hill ahead of the Ambubachi Mela.
"It is difficult to make any comment as of now. We have started investigation. Search is on to trace the head so that the diseased can be identified," police said while refusing to divulge much about the incident.
Guwahati city police commissioner Deepak Kumar has reached the spot of the incident.
Talking to the media, Kumar said, "It is a killing of superstition. We have found stuff used during worship and a blanket. The woman might come to the temple with some others known to her, offered puja and then she might have been given intoxicating element after which she lost consciousness and then was killed."
The annual festival draws lakhs of devotees from different parts of the country and world to the temple every year and the temple authorities have estimated that close to 25 lakhs devotees will visit the temple for the forthcoming festival.
The identity of the deceased is yet to be ascertained.
