SILCHAR, July 4 � The Court of the Additional Sessions Judge here on Friday sentenced three persons to life imprisonment for killing a man after branding him a witch in June 2013. A Sessions case (No. 132/2013) was registered following an FIR lodged at the Lakhipur Police Station on June 6, 2013 and a chargesheet was submitted by the police against the prime accused, Sukumar Mura, Rajesh Mura and Chobilal Mura, under Sections 147,148/149/447/302/201 of the IPC.
In the verdict given by TK Bhattacharjee, it was mentioned that Sukumar Mura, Rajesh Mura and Chobilal Mura, along with some other persons, picked up Jawaharlal Mura from his house at Narayanpur Basti, Kalabeel, under the Lakhipur Police Station in Cachar district in the afternoon of June 6, 2013. The accused took him to a paddy field, attacked him with sharp weapons and later buried him on a hillock in the jungles of Kalabeel after performing a �ritual� since the local villagers suspected that Jawaharlal was a witch.
Sukumar Mura, Rajesh Mura and Chobilal Mura were awarded life imprisonment under Section 447/34 of the IPC. Further, a fine of Rs 18,000 each has been slapped against the convicts, to be paid to prosecution witnesses (PW-1 and 2) Rita Mura and Laxmi Mura, the daughters of the deceased, as compensation.
