Varanasi priest slits own throat, dies after 24-hour ritual for Goddess Kali

A 40-year-old priest in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, died by suicide on Tuesday after reportedly becoming frustrated when he did not receive a vision of Goddess Kali despite 24 hours of continuous worship.

Amit Sharma, a resident of the city’s Gaay Ghat area, invoked the deity before slitting his throat with a cutter in the courtyard of his rented home.

His wife, Julie, who was cooking at the time, heard him cry out, “Maa Kali darshan do” (Mother Kali, show yourself). Moments later, she found him bleeding on the floor, a cutter next to him, surrounded by shocked neighbours who had rushed upstairs after hearing screams.

Sharma was rushed to the hospital by his wife and neighbours but was declared dead upon arrival.

Julie told the police that Sharma had been performing intense worship rituals for 24 hours, locking himself in the room with the belief that Goddess Kali would appear to him. When this did not happen, he reportedly became distraught and took his life.

Police have sent the body for post-mortem and launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.