Woman beaten
up after charges of witchcraft Express
news service
An
elderly woman of Dahen village in Olpad taluka was severely beaten up by a youth
on Sunday for allegedly practicing witchcraft.
Assaulted
with an axe, the woman sustained severe injuries on her limbs and head. She is
now undergoing treatment at the New Civil Hospital in Surat, where her condition
is reported to be stable. According
to the police, Hansha Rathod (50), who was staying with her daughter Meena Rathod,
came to clean up her ancestral house in Dahen a couple of days ago along with
her friend Kalawati Rathod. On
Sunday evening, Chiman Rathod, also a resident of Dahen, went to Hansha’s
house and attacked her accusing her of practicing witchcraft. Chiman also told
her that she was responsible for the death of his elder brother Mohan Rathod.
After the assault, Chiman fled the village. Kalawati
shouted for help and called in the neighbours who immediately rushed Hansha to
the hospital. They
also informed the Olpad police which registered a case against Chiman and arrested
him in the afternoon. Sub-Inspector
H M Suthar said: “We arrested the accused from his house. During interrogation,
we learnt there was some old dispute between Hansha and Chiman, which resulted
in the incident.” He
added that Chiman’s elder brother, Mohan died two months ago due to severe
illness. Mohan’s family members, including Chiman, suspected that Hansha
was involved in witchcraft. She
regularly visited her ancestral house in Dahen village to keep possession of the
house, said Suthar. “We
suspect Chiman’s intention was to take possession of the house, due to which
he misguided the villagers and told them that Hansha was practicing witchcraft,
and therefore should not be allowed to enter the village or stay in her house,”
he said.
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