Jharkhand witch hunting: In the state which ranks third in the country for witch-hunting, as per National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) Data, 2019, another case of killing a woman for 'black magic' took place on October 27. The incident took place in a village near the steel city of Jharkhand- Jamshedpur. A 55-year-old woman was beaten to death by her neighbours for "allegedly" practising black magic.
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The villagers found the half-naked body of a woman on the outskirts of Mangad village on October 28, Thursday morning. The 55-year-old woman was allegedly beaten to death on October 27 evening. When her husband tried rescuing her, he was scared away by attackers.
According to the police officer investigating the case, Chandra Shekhar Azad, after finding the body of the deceased, the villagers had immediately informed the police, who rushed to the spot and made two arrests.
As per the complaint filed by the wife of one of the neighbours, she felt unwell after the woman (who was accused of witchcraft) had visited her house and held her wrist.
The deceased woman's husband told the police that the deceased was being accused of practising witchcraft and was harassed by the villagers. Although this was not new as the villagers had called for a gram sabha in the past against her.
According to Azad, the initial investigation, however, points towards old personal animosity and the police have been unable to confirm the witchcraft angle during their investigation as of yet.
Similar cases:
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- In May this year, a 75-year-old woman was killed by her neighbours after being branded a witch in Salami village of Gumla in Jharkhand. The accused was arrested but similar cases keep on happening despite many women trying to raise awareness on the issue through public and cultural events.
- In January 2020, a 65-year-old woman, who was suspected of practising witchcraft, was beaten to death by a man, a day before his wedding in Simedga district in Jharkhand.
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