A BJP MLA in Uttar Pradesh has complained people are trying to use "dark" forces of the otherworldly type against him.
In a Facebook post, BJP MLA Lokendra Pratap Singh posted a photo of what he called a "black magic and conjuring" setup to target him.
The MLA from Mohammadi in UP's Lakhimpur Kheri said nothing will happen to him as he is a devotee of Bholenath, or Lord Shiva.
The offerings in what he called black magic contains some seeds, the MLA's photo; a small container of vermilion, its lid open; a bottle of some reddish liquid, and half a piece of what looks like a round fruit or a vegetable.
"We have reached the Moon, yet some people still believe in sorcery. May god give them wisdom," Mr Singh said.
"I am an ardent devotee of Bholenath. Nothing will happen to me with such tricks. But these people who still believe in such tricks even in this century when science has reached the moon have a distorted mentality," the MLA said.
People in remote villages and in tribal belts across the country still believe in black magic. Reports surface from time to time about human sacrifices to bizarre rituals.
