Diphu (Assam) [India], December 31 (HBTV): A couple was burned alive by a group of people in a village in Assam’s Karbi Anglong district after being suspected of practising witchcraft, police said on Wednesday.
The incident occurred on Tuesday night at No. 1 Beloguri Munda village in the Howraghat area.
‘The miscreants first attacked the couple with sharp weapons inside their house. After that, they set the house on fire, and the couple died in the blaze,’ a police official said.
Villagers accused the deceased of practising witchcraft and causing harm in the surrounding area, the official added.
The victims have been identified as Gardi Birowa (43) and Mira Birowa (33).
Senior police and civil administration officials have reached the site and launched an investigation to identify and apprehend those involved in the crime.
‘The area is under the grip of superstition. People still believe in rumours, leading to the suffering of some,’ the official said.
Besides provisions under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, witch-hunting is also a criminal offence under Assam state law.
(Times of India)