From Our Correspondent
to defend him from the mob, in Nongstoin on Saturday. (ST)
NONGSTOIN: Yet another suspected case of alleged witchcraft practice has come to light in West Khasi Hills with one Sran Marngar (57), believed to be a witchcraft (Menshohnoh) practitioner, being severely assaulted by an angry mob after he was accused of kidnapping an infant at Nongstoin market on Saturday.
The infant is the child of Smti Bilintidora K Bani, resident of Nongstoin market under New Nongstoin. Sources informed that the incident occurred when Bilintidora left her son on a tub to bathe him and went inside the house to fetch a towel. When she returned the kid was nowhere to be found. Even after a frantic search, she was not able to locate him. Later people in the vicinity said that they had seen Sran Marngar holding a baby without any clothes on and heading towards the local butchery.
As people rushed to the butchery, they found Marngar with the baby clinging to his arms. Marngar refused to hand over the infant which led to a tussle after which the mob took the child in their possession. The infuriated mob then beat up Marngar black and blue. The mob then tied Marngar to an electric pole so that people could approach him and punish him. The accused was however rescued by the police, who arrived on the scene after being alerted by some residents.
Later, local residents claimed that Sran Marngar was a witchcraft practitioner. Interestingly, Marngar is the brother of Smti Sirda Marngar, who was apprehended by the Seng Longkmie (Women’s Organization) of Nongstoin earlier this year on similar charges.
Only last month, villagers of Tiehsaw in West Khasi Hills had shaved her head and paraded her with tin-cans clanging alongside announcing her profession.
Meanwhile, it has been learnt that these siblings had gained notoriety for their practices because of which they have been either ostracized or banished from several places in the past.
Earlier they settled at Mawkohnoh village but were banished from there after which they moved to other neighbouring villages. However, they were chased out from their new villages. The duo then settled in Nongstoin and then at Tiehsaw but were unwelcome everywhere. Finally taking advantage of the large population, they moved back to Nongstoin recently.