Odisha: Woman labelled witch', stripped, thrashed in middle of the road

Bhubaneswar: In a shameful act, residents of a village in Odisha allegedly stripped a young woman in the middle of the main road and brutally assaulted her suspecting her to be a witch, police reports said on Friday.

According to the police, during Jhamu Jatra on Wednesday at Derapathar village under Barakote police limits in Deogarh district, a minor girl who was claimed to be possessed by Goddess Kalisi (an imaginary messenger between the human and the spirit worlds) told people that the woman along with one of her accomplices, Dusasan Dehury, was practising black magic near a tree in the village and would cause loss to her family.

The minor girl then picked up a dana (cup made of leaves) kept on a nearby tree and moved towards the woman’s house. She was followed by family members and other villagers.

Standing at the door, the girl (Kalisi) called the woman out and said: “You are practicing black magic. You have killed several people in the village.”

Believing that the messenger (Kalisi) had identified the woman as a black magician, the girl’s family members along with other villagers dragged the lady by her hair out on to the village’s main road.

In the presence of hundreds of men and women, the frenzied mob showered blows and kicked the young woman and later removed her saree. The villagers did not stop and also allegedly tore apart her blouse and petticoat, leaving her completely naked.

The woman, along with the gram rakhi (chowkidar) later went to the police station in the evening on Thursday and lodged a written complaint.

“We have registered a case under Sections 448, 294, 323, 354, 506/34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The matter is under investigation,” said inspector Brahmanand Patra of Barkote police station.

Police added that they were yet to make any arrests so far in the case.

(This story originally appeared in the Asian Age)