Saturday, July 12, 2025
spot_img

Ill man dies after villagers quiz ‘spirit’ within

Date:

Share post:

spot_imgspot_img

TURA: In a shocking case of cruelty and ignorance, a severely ill man lost his life after a group of villagers, including relatives, suspecting him to be possessed by evil spirits allegedly assaulted him and kept him awake for questioning despite his critical condition in Dobakol village of Bajengdoba region in North Garo Hills early Sunday morning, a delayed report stated.
According to reports, Sengra R Marak (around 32) had been suffering from high fever brought on possibly by a bout of pneumonia and due to the pain was mumbling in his sleep which was interpreted as something else by those around.
Seeing his condition some villagers and relatives concluded that he was being possessed by an evil spirit and decided to take matters into their own hands. On Saturday night, as the young man lay in pain from the illness, they reportedly brought a traditional medicine man (Oja) and began questioning him for several hours after covering him with a mosquito net to keep a check on the ‘spirit’. “They believed that he was possessed and so they began to question him believing that it was not him but the spirit which was replying. He was left exhausted from the events and by early morning passed away. Their mistake was not taking him to a hospital,” said a village elder who spoke to this scribe and asked that he not be named. The deceased was engaged and due to get married in a couple of months time.
Ignorance and belief in witchcraft is widely prevalent in many rural areas of Garo Hills. Four years ago, an entire family of a school teacher was murdered and buried in a shallow grave by villagers of Mrigre in Rongram region of west Garo Hills. The teacher and his parents were accused by a group of villagers of practising sorcery but subsequent investigation pointed to greed for possession of their land by some unscrupulous villagers.

)

spot_imgspot_img

Related articles

DRDO and IAF successfully test Astra BVRAAM with indigenous radio frequency seeker from Su-30 Mk-I

New Delhi, July 11: In a significant boost to India's self-reliance in defence technology, the Defence Research and...

Mayank Yadav’s rehab likely to start in coming weeks after undergoing surgery in Christchurch

New Delhi, July 11: Tearaway fast bowler Mayank Yadav is likely to begin his long rehab in the...

Pakistan: 98 killed, 185 injured as monsoon rains wreak havoc

Islamabad, July 11: Torrential monsoon rains and flash floods have claimed at least 98 lives and left 185...

India’s purchase of Russian oil helped bring down global prices: Hardeep Puri

New Delhi, July 11: Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri said on Friday that India’s...