A group of villagers in Assam’s Sonitpur district physically tortured four fellow villagers including a woman on the suspicion of practicing witchcraft, reports emerged on Wednesday.
The incident was reported at Anthaibari and Disabari area along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border where the four villagers were physically tortured branding them as practicing witchcraft.
The Biswanath police reached on time to rescue the four victims and arrested eight persons in connection with the incident.
Meanwhile, a case has been registered at Biswanath Chariali Police Station.
The Officer-in-Charge of the police station, S Hajowary was quoted by ANI saying, “I immediately asked the police of Balisang police outpost to investigate the matter. A police team immediately reached the spot and rescued four persons. Some people in the area were suffering from some ailments for the last couple of days and the local villagers went to a local woman named Anjali Swargiary who is also a priest to take suggestions.”
“She told the villagers that, some people of the area are practicing witchcraft and for that reason, the villagers are suffering ailments and suggested the villagers to take stern action against them. The local villagers took up four people from the Disabari area and beat them. Later, our team rescued the victims and admitted them to the hospital,” he added.
The OC further said that the police arrested eight people including women for their involvement in the assault and registered a case against them.
The arrested people have been identified as Anjali Swargiary, Dipen Basumatary, Budhiram Basumatary, Sukur Basumatary, Ranjan Basumatary, Baloram Basumatary, Shiva Boro and Bijay Narzary.
