NHRC occult rituals case: The National Human Rights Commission has directed the Telangana director general of police to take action over alleged black magic and occult-ritual claims made publicly against Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader and former minister T Harish Rao, according to a report by The Times of India. The commission has sought an action-taken report from the DGP within four weeks.
The directive followed a complaint filed by Telangana High Court advocate Karupothula Revanth, who alleged that complaints over the statements were not registered as first information reports. The complaint was submitted to the NHRC after allegations attributed to people holding high public offices, including the chief minister and a government whip, linked Harish Rao to tantric or occult practices at temples and claimed that the acts were intended to stop rainfall and cause drought.
The allegations concern statements reportedly made from July 31, 2026. According to the complaint, no temple records, statements from priests, receipts or other supporting material had been made public to substantiate the claims. The complaint characterised the allegations as unsubstantiated and questioned the failure of the police to register a case or communicate the reasons for not doing so.
Revanth said complaints were submitted at the Osmania University and Vanasthalipuram police stations on August 4, followed by a representation to the DGP’s office on August 17. The complaint alleged that no FIR had been registered in response to those submissions.
The NHRC’s direction places the matter before the state police for action and reporting. The commission has not, in the material reported, determined whether the allegations against Harish Rao were true. Its intervention relates to the handling of the complaints and the alleged public statements, including whether they warrant police action under applicable law.
The complaint also raised a wider public-safety concern. It said that claims by people in senior constitutional and political positions linking rainfall or drought to occult practices could reinforce superstition. It warned that such narratives may contribute to accusations of witchcraft in rural areas and expose women, widows, elderly people and members of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities to attacks.
The complainant argued that the response would have been different if similar allegations had been made by an ordinary citizen. The NHRC has now asked the Telangana DGP to submit the action-taken report within four weeks, which is the next formal milestone identified in the commission’s direction.
