Houses and property destroyed

Family ostracized over allegation of witchcraft practice

JOWAI: In an alleged case of witch hunting, the Dorbar Shnong of Tamu village under Thadlaskein C&RD Block in West Jaintia Hills District has ostracized the entire family of one Sawanlangko Suting including her two sons and two daughters, besides her grand children.

A mob also set ablaze one RCC residential building owned by Suting and three other Assam type houses, besides a cow shed.

Household articles including clothes, 30 sacks of paddy, carpenter tools and cash worth Rs 24 lakh were reduced to ashes.

According to information received, the turn of events was set in motion in June, 2012 when one of Suting’s daughters had appeared an interview for the job of an Anganwadi worker in the ICDS centre at Tamu-II. Suting’s daughter was not selected as she was not a resident of Tamu-II but was from Tamu-I, which is also under the same headman.

Another woman, Ruda Chen, a resident of Tamu-II, was selected for the job.

In August, 2012, Ruda Chen felt sick and her family members believed that she had been possessed by a Taro (an evil spirit).

During her illness, Ruda had uttered the name of Sawanglangko Suting, prompting the family members to believe that Suting was a Taro keeper.

After the sick woman uttered Suting’s name, Ruda’s relatives and friends came with lethal weapons and attacked Suting and her family members. Suting was also forcibly taken to Ruda’s resident where she was locked for more than 24 hours in a room and forcibly made to sign a paper.

Following the incident, the headman called for a meeting of the Dorbar Shnong where it was decided to expel Suting and her entire family from the village.

“It was on October 23 that the headman and a Sangot (elder of the Niamtre) came and asked me and my family to immediately leave the village, and also warned that if we failed to do so we would be burnt alive along with our houses and other properties,” Suting said.

Fearing for their lives, Suting and her family members left the village and are now taking shelter with their relatives at Ummulong village.

On October 25, two days after they were expelled from the village, a mob led by Rangbah Shnong P Pakma set ablaze their entire property including four houses and a cowshed. Cash worth 24 lakh rupees was also burnt to ashes. The money was meant for construction of a new residential building in the village, Suting informed.

After receiving a complaint, West Jaintia Hills Police immediately arrested the Rangbah Shnong. 11 others named in the FIR had already procured interim bail.

The 11 people named in the complaint were identified as Phot Laloo, Moris Dkhar, Marshall Dkhar, Handress Chen, Jan Laloo, Ms. Boi Laloo, Ms. Phelty Dkhar, Kwin Pakma, Jriwel Manner, Denis Shylla and Phuh Laloo.