Assam, Guwahati: Due to the disregard of the Assam government, people are getting trapped in the clutches of evils like superstition and witchcraft in the state and are also coming to the village for their lives.
This allegation has been made by Dr. Dibyajyoti Saikia, a national level human rights and social activist of Assam. He said that if the government had taken serious steps, then perhaps such unfortunate incidents would not have come to the fore. It is worth noting that a shocking case of brutal lynching of a tribal man in Assam has come to light.
So far 6 people have been detained in this case. The incident took place in Assam’s Baksa district, where a 50-year-old tribal man was allegedly brutally beaten to death by a group of villagers. The incident took place in Bogoribari village under Kumarikata police post near Tamulpur, 79 km from Guwahati. The police suspect that it is a case related to witchcraft. So far 6 people have been taken into custody for interrogation in this case. According to the police, the villagers held a meeting and accused the man of practicing witchcraft. Following this, a group of villagers allegedly thrashed the man to death.
Not only this, the villagers also attacked the police team that reached the spot. After the incident, the victim was taken to a government hospital where he died. Tamulpur Sub Divisional Police Officer Asima Kalita said that the police have so far detained five people for questioning. The police officer said that the case has been registered after the complaint given by the wife of the deceased. We have so far detained five people in this case. We suspect it is a case of witchcraft.
The matter is being thoroughly investigated. A relative of the deceased said that the villagers killed him on suspicion of witchcraft. The relative said that the villagers ransacked his house as well. It is noteworthy that under the leadership of Dr. Dibyajyoti Saikia, since the year 2008, through the social organization Brothers, the incidents had decreased after a relentless effort to eradicate superstition and witchcraft, but in the present digital age once again the incidents are happening again. On the other hand there was a long movement under his leadership demanding a strict law. Due to this struggle, a bill was passed in the Assam Legislative Assembly in the year 2015 to curb witchcraft.
The President gave his assent to this bill in 2018. The Assam Witch Hunting (Prohibition, Prevention and Protection) Bill is now an Act after the President’s assent. Dr. Dibyajyoti Saikia says that but due to the lack of proper awareness of the Assam government, the killings in the name of witchcraft continue.