Nine arrested for branding Assam athlete a witch

Guwahati, October 22, 2014:Nine people, including seven women, have been arrested on charges of criminal conspiracy for branding an Assam athlete as a witch, police said Wednesday. Tulumai Medhi, Jugamayee Medhi, Kalmeswari Medhi, Purnima Hazarika, Meera Deka, Soroju Koch and Sarumai Bora have been arrested till date after the incident in Karbi Anglong district Thursday.

Two men – Radha Laskar, a Naamgharia (the person who heads a community prayer hall), and Dilsen Medhi – were also arrested after an FIR was lodged by the athlete’s husband, a farmer.
The athlete, however, managed to escape after she received injury on her chest and back and was admitted to a local hospital. Police said the arrested women, all aged over 45 years, are facing charges of being the part of a criminal conspiracy to attack Debajani.

The attack on Debajani in full public view shocked many. But the issue of targetting people in the name of “witch hunting” is not new in Assam. The attack on Debajani in full public view shocked many. Several people, mostly women, are targeted, tortured and even killed every year after they are accused of practising witchcraft or black magic.

Source: The Shillong Times