HT Digital,
Kokrajhar, Nov 13: A tragic incident of alleged witchcraft-related murder was reported in Bhogjhara Samarpur village, Assam, under the jurisdiction of Tulasibil police station in Gossaigaon, Kokrajhar District. Marshila Murmu, a middle-aged woman, was reportedly murdered by a man on Sunday. Local residents apprehended Lakhan Tudu from No.2 Phulkumari village, suspecting his involvement in the crime.
Tudu confessed to the murder, stating that he was under the influence of alcohol when he committed the act. He reportedly consumed alcohol with the victim prior to the crime. This incident follows a similar case from September in Chatabari Pt I Village, Goalpara district, where an elderly woman, Praneswari Rabha, was found dead.
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She was suspected to be a victim of witchcraft-related violence. Rabha had left home to feed her cattle and did not return. Her bound and battered body was later discovered at a local cemetery. Initial investigations suggest she was tied and brutally beaten to death.
Praneswari, a peaceful villager, was found murdered under suspicious circumstances. Known for her non-confrontational nature, her acquaintances suspect witch-hunting as the cause of her death, a fate her brother met years earlier for alleged witchcraft. Goalpara police have recovered the body for autopsy.
Witch-hunting remains a significant issue in rural Assam, with no apparent solution. In 2021, another elderly woman suspected of witchcraft was killed by her son in Kokrajhar, leading to his arrest.
A landmark verdict in 2020 saw a local Bijni court in Chirang district sentence 10 individuals to life imprisonment for a witch-hunting incident dating back to 2001, where three women were allegedly killed for suspected witchcraft. The judgement was delivered by Judge Yusuf Ajaz at the district and sessions court, Bijni.
