In a distressing incident from Assam, an elderly woman was brutally beaten to death by unidentified miscreants on suspicion of practicing witchcraft. The shocking incident was reported from Chatabari Pt I Village in Goalpara district.
According to sources, the woman had gone to feed her cattle yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon, however, she never returned home. The deceased woman has been identified as Praneswari Rabha (56).
After a prolonged search by villagers, her body was found late in the night at the cemetery with hands and legs bound with clothes. Preliminary investigations suggest that the woman was tied up and brutally battered by the miscreants, resulting in her death.
People known to her said that Praneswari never had any feud with any anyone and lived peacefully in the village. They suspect that it was a case of witch-hunting as her brother also met the same fate few years.
It is learned that Praneswari’s brother was also killed off in a similar manner few years ago for allegedly practising witchcraft.
One of the acquaintances said, “There is absolutely no reason for anyone to murder an elderly woman in such a ghastly manner. Praneswari’s brother was also lynched to death few years ago on suspicion of practicing witchcraft, and it is safe to say that she was murdered for the same reasons.”
Meanwhile, Goalpara police arrived at the crime scene and recovered the body for post-mortem. An investigation has been initiated.
Witch-hunting is a prevailing problem in rural Assam and there seems to be no end to it. In 2021, an elderly woman allegedly suspected of practicing witchcraft was brutally stabbed to death by her son in Kokrajhar. In this connection, the accused was arrested.
Last year, a local court in Bijni in Assam’s Chirang’s district awarded life imprisonment to 10 individuals in connection to a witch-hunting incident. The historic judgment was delivered by judge Yusuf Ajaz at district and sessions court, Bijni.
The case dates back to 2001 when the accused persons allegedly murdered three women on suspicion of practicing witchcraft in Chirang.
