So far, the police have arrested nine people in connection with the case while searching to catch others.
Among those killed was a 50-year-old widow, Ramawati Halua, who was believed to be a “witch” and responsible for the death of another woman in the village.
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- Last update: October 2, 2020 2:37 PM IST
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Residents of a village in Assam killed two people, including a school teacher, in an alleged witch hunt. Among those killed was a 50-year-old widow who, according to villagers, was a “witch” and responsible for the death of another woman in the area. The other victim, a 28-year-old man who was protested and criticized by the mob for his superstitious belief, was also beheaded along with the widow.
The incident occurred in Langhin Rahimapur, under the Dokmoka Police Station, where some angry villagers attacked Ramawati Halua at his home with sharp weapons and when Bijoy Gaur, a school teacher, tried to intervene, they were both brutally killed. According to sources, the villagers then beheaded the bodies and offered prayers to protect themselves from evil, and then dragged their bodies across a river and cremated them on a distant hillside.
Villagers also tried to kill Ramawati’s teenage daughter, but the girl escaped and arrived at the Dokmoka police station on Thursday morning and gave her statement. A police team rushed to the scene and recovered the murder weapons and the remains of the victims’ bodies.
So far, the police have arrested nine people and a search is underway to catch more. One of the defendants admitted his crime and turned himself in to the police. The village where the crime occurred is inhabited mainly by the Adivasi community, where people work as day laborers or as small farmers.
“All the defendants belong to the same community and the incident was reported from elsewhere. People are economically backward and loaded with superstitious beliefs. Now we will prepare an accusation sheet and if the court convicts them then we can only say that we arrived a logical conclusion, “said Karbi Anglong, SP, Debojit Deuri.
According to sources, a village woman had died a few days ago after becoming ill and was taken to Guwahati for treatment. During her post-death ritual, another woman began to show “abnormal signs”, claiming that Ramawati Halua was the witch behind the death and that it would bring bad luck to the village.
“I don’t know what happened to me, I don’t remember if I took her name (Ramwati). The soul of the deceased girl somehow got hold of me and I don’t know what I said under her possession,” the woman said. who called Ramawati a witch, claimed during police questioning.
In a similar incident at the same police station two years ago, two Guwahati youths were brutally killed by an enraged mob. On June 8, 2018, the two men, Abhijeet Nath and Nilotpal Das, went on vacation to Dokmoka to enjoy the panoramic view of a waterfall. However, they were suspected of being child abductors, prompting a mob to brutally beat the two of them eventually succumbing to their injuries. The video of the incident went viral on the Internet and sparked outrage from the national and international communities. Their families continue to wait for justice for those served.
The Assam Witch Hunting (Prohibition, Prevention and Protection) Act 2015 has been in effect in the state since 2018. According to the law, witch hunting has been recognized as a non-bail, non-aggravated crime, with the provisions of life imprisonment.
According to data presented by the Assam government in the state Legislative Assembly last year, at least 161 deaths have been reported in witch hunts in the state in the last 18 years.
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