GOALPARA: Assam Police have arrested a village head and a quack from Krishnapur village in Goalpara district for allegedly harassing two women and branding them as witches.
The arrests were made on Friday following a complaint filed by the victims, who were rescued by Mission Birubala, an NGO working to prevent witch-hunting in Assam.
According to Anamika Baruah, Secretary of Mission Birubala, the two women from Krishnapur village, who are in their 60s, were targeted after a 10-year-old girl in the village fell ill.
“Instead of seeking medical attention, family members consulted a local quack. The girl was wrapped in a fishing net, following the advice of quack. The quack claimed that witchcraft practiced by the two women caused the girl’s illness,” Baruah told Northeast News.
“Following the quack’s revelation, the village head organized a meeting and along with other villagers forced the two women to consume human excreta as a punishment. The villagers held the superstition that ingesting human feces would diminish the strength of witches,” she added.
Unable to bear the atrocities meted out to them, the two women managed to escape the village and sought refuge at their relative’s house.
After receiving information about the incident on August 29, Mission Birubala members rescued them and accompanied them to Lakhipur police station to file a complaint.
Following the complaint, Lakhipur police arrested the village head and the quack.
The NGO has demanded strict punishment for the accused. “We are demanding stringent action against the village head and the quack. They should be tried under the Assam Witch Hunting (Prohibition, Prevention, and Protection) Act, 2015,” said Baruah.
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We are planning to organize an awareness camp in the village next month with the help of the district administration to sensitize locals on witch-hunting, she added.
