News Analysis India

Tag: sorcery

  • Woman bludgeoned to death over suspicion of sorcery in Assam

    Express News Service
    GUWAHATI: There is no let-up in the incidents of witch-hunting in Assam despite the enactment of the Assam Witch Hunting (Prohibition, Prevention and Protection) Act, 2015 which views witch-hunting as a cognisable, non-bailable, and non-compoundable offence.

    In a suspected case of witch-hunting, a 53-year-old widow was bludgeoned to death by a group of miscreants at No 1 Geruajuli area of Rangapara in Northern Assam’s Sonitpur district.

    The assailants had barged into the house of the victim, Laksheswari Daimary, on Saturday night and beaten her to death. Later, they carried the body to a forest 1 km away and buried it. She was a mother of four children.

    The incident came to light on Sunday after the neighbours rescued the woman’s grandson Mohit Daimary. His hands and legs were found tied. On being informed by the locals, the police conducted a search and exhumed the body. Later, it was sent for autopsy.

    The locals said the miscreants killed the woman after suspecting her to be practising witchcraft. They said she was harassed in the past by some people after getting driven by superstitious beliefs. They demanded the arrest of the perpetrators of the crime and exemplary punishment for them.

    Witch-hunting, a social malaise, is common in parts of the Northeast. In Assam, it, on average, claims a dozen lives in the tea belt and tribal areas every year. The killings have not stopped despite mass awareness campaigns by the authorities besides various NGOs and individuals.

    In 2017, the Gauhati High Court observed that branding a person as a witch and then resorting to witch-hunting was a dehumanising act and one of the worst forms of human rights violations. The court had observed that the menace had to be confronted at multiple levels. 

  • Five of family axed to death on suspicion of sorcery in Jharkhand

    Express News Service
    RANCHI: Five members of a family were axed to death by their relatives at Kuruhatu-Amtoli under Kamdara Police Station in Gumla on suspicion of practising black magic. 

    Though the incident took place on Tuesday night, it came to light on Friday. The investigation into the matter is being conducted by a Special Investigation Team (SIT).

    According to police, the massacre was carried out following a decision by the villagers. The villagers found that people are frequently falling ill and dying during the past few weeks. They believed that the tragic incidents happened due to sorcery being practised by Nikodine Topno, 58, and his wife Josephina Dahanga, 55.

    “After examining the evidence closely and taking all aspects into consideration, it was revealed to be a case of witch-hunting. During investigations, it was also found that after a few instances of death and sickness, the villagers came to a conclusion that it was a repercussion of witchcraft being practised by the couple,” said Gumla SP Hurdeep P Janardhanan. A meeting was organized by the villagers in a football ground on Tuesday morning and a decision was taken to finish the couple as they were the only reason behind the sufferings of the people, he added.

    “On Tuesday night, eight villagers assembled near the couple’s house after consuming alcohol and hacked Nikodine and his wife Josephina to death with sharp weapons,” said the SP. They also killed the rest of the family members to remove the eyewitnesses, he added.

    “The couple’s son Vincent Topno, 32, daughter-in-law Silvanti Topno, 30, and five-year-old grandson Albine Topno were also hacked to death,” said the SP. All the eight accused have been arrested and confessed to the crime. The weapons used have also been recovered, he added.

    The SP further said that a total of 13 FIRs have been lodged under relevant sections of IPC at Kamdara Police Station. The cops are also identifying others involved in the crime, he said.