Express News Service
RANCHI: In yet another incident of lynching in Jharkhand, a 55-year-old woman was thrashed by kicks and bamboo sticks, and later was made to drink poison and then beaten to death by the villagers on Thursday evening, allegedly for practising black magic at Ganeshpur village in Lohardaga. The elderly woman, identified as Holo Devi, was then put into a sack and thrown from Dhardharia waterfalls near the village.
After being informed by the family members of the elderly woman, police reached there and recovered the dead body from the bottom of the waterfalls. Comming into action immediately, the police lodged an FIR against 27 named and over 20 unknown persons at Serengdag Police Station.
“So far we have arrested 24 accused persons in this regard while the hunt for others is still on,” said SP Lohardaga R Ramkumar. Family members alleged that the entire matter is related to superstition as five people in the village died due to illness since January this year for which the villagers held the woman responsible alleging her practising black magic.
According to her family member Chandramani Devi, the Panchayat called by the villagers was called at 6 AM in the morning, which continued till late in the evening following which the villagers punished her to death.
“Firstly, they made her half-dead by hitting her with kicks, punches and bamboo sticks, made her drink poison, and beat her to death. She was shouting for water, but the villagers did not allow us to give her water,” said Chandramani Devi. After the villagers were assured that she was dead, they threw her from the top of the Dhardharia waterfalls near the village, she added.
In another incident on Wednesday, two tribal youths were burnt alive by the villagers in Jharkhand’s Gumla, allegedly for raping a minor girl in the village. Both were rushed to the hospital but one of them succumbed to his injuries during treatment, while another one is still struggling for life.
