BONGAIGAON, April 22 - Police arrested six persons from Khungring, under Runikhata Police Station in Chirang district, on the charges of killing a person branding him a witch.
Rebeka Wary (25), a widow of the village had instigated the local villagers to attack Sarat Narzary (48) accusing him of killing her husband by using witchcraft on Friday evening.
The villagers had attacked Sarat brutally with sharp weapons following which he died on the spot.
Police had recovered his body on Friday night and sent it for post-mortem at Kajalgaon civil hospital in the district.
In the early hours today, police picked up six persons, including the main accused Rebeka and the village headman Swambla Borgoyari and registered a case(22/2018) under Sections 120 (B), 448/364/302/34 of IPC at Runikhata Police Station. The police confirmed it as a case of witch hunting.
As per All Bodo Students� Union (ABSU) activists, Rebeka�s husband had died of illness. The Union�s Chirang district unit president Khanindra Basumatary demanded adequate ex-gratia to the victim�s family and legal action against all the accused. He also called upon the district administration to spread awareness against crimes like witch hunting and other social offences.
Khungring is a backward forest village in Chirang district, located 15 km near the India-Bhutan border. About 500 families of daily wage earners live in this remote village.
