Charaideo court grants life sentence to 23 in 2012-witch hunting case
The then village defence party was also convicted under the IPC & a fine was imposed;
Sonari, May 20: The court of District and Sessions Judge in Charaideo on Monday sentenced 23 convicts, including 11 women, to life imprisonment in a case of witch hunting.
12 men and 11 women were sentenced by the court for killing a woman, identified as Fuleswari Halua, on suspicion of practising witchcraft on February 9, 2012.
Additionally, the court also imposed fines of Rs 5,000 each.
The convicted persons had killed a married woman by pouring kerosene on her body and burning her till her body turned to ashes near the Nagajan river at Haluagaon under Sonari Police Station.
They first tied up the woman to a tree and beat her up at night. Despite attempts by her son Jugen Halua to save his mother, the local public neither listened to the son nor showed any mercy to the victim.
A First Information Report (FIR) was lodged on February 10, 2012 and police registered a case under Sections 302 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Police arrested 35 persons, and chargesheet was filed against 25 of them.
The then Village Defence Party (VDP) secretary Hemanta Daimari, who did not respond to the phone call of the victim’s family, was also convicted under Section 202 of the IPC and fined Rs 3,000.
The court took the evidence of 14 witnesses.
The court also directed the District Legal Service Authority (DLSA) to pay Rs 8 lakh to the next of kin of the victim.
The convicted persons were Chintamoni Halua, Nirmola Halua, Nitu Halua, Rita Halua, Montu Halua, Prodip Phukan, Bikash Munda, Tempoo Halua, Jugen Halua, Anita Halua, Rina Khaklari, Bindawoti Halua, Dnanmati Halua, Dipali Halua, Joymoti Halua, Mondumoti Halua, Niru Halua, Pomila Halua, Preeti Halua, Rupali Halua, Samali Halua.
- With inputs from news agencies