GUWAHATI: Villagers of a remote hamlet in Karbi Anglong district lynched two persons on suspicion of the duo practicing “witchcraft” and bringing “misfortune” to the village, police informed.
Karbi Anglong superintendent of police Debojit Deori informed The Shillong Times on Friday morning that the duo – Ramabati Halua, a 50-year-old woman, and Bijoy Gaur, 28, were beaten to death by sticks and sharp weapons at Rohimapur, village inhabited by about 20 families from the Adivasi community, under Dokmoka police station on Wednesday night.
“Nine persons have been detained in connection with the crime. They are being interrogated and would be produced in a Diphu court this afternoon. We are also on the lookout for more persons who might be involved in the crime,” Deori said.
According to sources, the villagers had first branded Ramawati as a “witch” and held her responsible for villagers falling sick and dying.
Gaur had tried to stop the villagers from beating Ramabati but it so happened that he too along with the woman was beaten to death.
The group then reportedly offered rituals to the local deity and burnt the two bodies in a nearby area.
“We found two lathis, one dao (machete) and a fishing net from the site. Besides, we collected some of the mortal remains of the victims from the area where they were burnt,” the SP said.
“This appears to be a pre-planned murder by the group of villagers,” he added.
The village is about 10 kilometres from National Highway 36 in the Langhin area of the district.
It may be recalled that in June 2018, two youths from Guwahati were brutally beaten to death by an irate mob at Dokmoka under the same police station after they were suspected to be child-lifters.
According to the Assam Witch Hunting (Prohibition, Prevention and Protection) Act, 2015, witch-hunting is a cognisable, non-bailable and non-compoundable offence.
The Assam Assembly was informed by the government last year that 161 people have been killed in the state in cases of witch-hunting in the past 18 years.