Indian villagers behead woman over ‘witchcraft’

A 63-year-old Indian woman has been dismembered and beheaded by machete-wielding villagers who accused her of practising witchcraft.

A police team led by Additional Superintendent of Police Samad Hussain dispersed the crowd and recovered the body which has been sent for postmortem.

The incident comes at a time when the Assam government is contemplating an anti-witchunt law in the state.

“She was taken to a nearby stream where she was nearly stripped naked and attacked with sharp weapons”, regional police chief Manabendra Rai said.

“Moni was a witch and had cast evil spells on her enemies”, said villager Kiran Teronpi on local television.

Seven people, including two women, have been arrested over her killing.

“Police went to the spot after being informed by villagers and arrested the three”.

‘She was decapitated and her limbs were chopped off.’.

Attempts have been made to storm the local police station to free those accused, they added. “The situation is under control now”.

The report notes that witch-hunting is still common in Assam tribal communities with dozens, mostly women, have been beheaded, burnt alive or stabbed to death after such accusations over the last six years. The government had off late said it would bring an act with more punitive actions to check the menace.

A draft bill prepared by the state home department proposes punishment ranging between three years to life imprisonment for those found guilty of branding someone a witch and abetting suicide, apart from taking care of the victims.