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An Indian man has been sentenced to death after decapitating a baby and drinking the child’s blood in a so-called occult ritual, it was reported today.

Villagers found Lakshmi Kanta Sarkar in a graveyard swallowing the blood as it poured from the severed head of the baby hanging from a tree.

The self-confessed “tantrik” - a follower of Indian spiritual studies going back to 5-9th century AD - had built a makeshift temple and tied the

The incident took place two years ago during an occult ritual in Kalakuri village in Bankura, West Bengal and was captured on film by an Indian tv crew.

But Sarkar has only now been sentenced to death, said the Times of India, after 17 witnesses testified against him at Sulagna Dastidar district court in Bankura.

The villagers beat Sarkar as they screamed “sorcerer”, so badly police had to intervene to avoid a lynching.

But some alleged followers of Tantra, one of the most neglected branches of Indian spiritualism, use it as an excuse to indulge in blood sacrifices and to fulfil their own needs.