Kolkata, 24 October (H.S.): In a chilling incident driven by superstition, a 65-year-old tribal woman was beaten to death with sticks in the Harirampur police station area of West Bengal's Dakshin Dinajpur district on the suspicion of practicing witchcraft. The deceased has been identified as Rumki Murmu. Acting swiftly on a complaint lodged by the victim's family, the police arrested the prime accused and neighbor, Jayram Kisku.

The tragic incident occurred in the Nahit locality under the Shirshi Gram Panchayat. According to local sources, the accused, a driver by profession, had a son who had been ailing for a long time. Jayram allegedly harbored a baseless suspicion that the elderly woman was a 'witch' and was responsible for his son's prolonged illness. On Friday night, while an idol immersion procession was underway in the area, an inebriated Jayram allegedly intercepted the woman, hurled abuses at her, and subsequently assaulted her mercilessly with a stick.

Locals rushed to the spot upon noticing the commotion and immediately informed the police. The critically injured and bleeding woman was rushed to the Harirampur Rural Hospital, where attending doctors declared her dead on arrival. On Saturday, the police recovered the body and sent it to the Balurghat District Hospital for a post-mortem examination. The Harirampur police have since launched a comprehensive investigation into the murder.

Expressing his grief, the victim's son, Gudum Kisku, said, I was away when the incident occurred. My sister called to inform me that our mother had been brutally beaten and branded a witch. We have never encountered such accusations in our lives. I demand the strictest possible punishment for the culprit.

Providing the official police version, District Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhishek Gupta stated, An altercation and a heated argument escalated into a physical assault, leading to this tragic death. The police have promptly arrested one individual. However, the formal written complaint submitted by the family does not explicitly mention that the assault was motivated by witchcraft allegations.

Strongly condemning the brutal killing, Animesh Lahiri, District Secretary of the Paschim Banga Bigyan Mancha, said, Despite extensive awareness campaigns, the darkness of superstition has not been completely eradicated from our society. Branding someone a witch and murdering them over an illness or personal dispute is highly reprehensible. Representatives of the Bigyan Mancha will soon visit the village to stand in solidarity with the bereaved family and will organize special awareness camps to root out such evil practices from the area.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh