Woman thrashed on witchcraft charges

29 Mar 2008, 0159 hrs IST,Alok Mishra,TNN

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PATNA: Even as the Nitish government made special provisions for women's welfare through gender budgeting on Thursday, almost around the same time, a mob was cutting the hair of a middle-aged woman for allegedly practising witchcraft.

The incident took place at Dumariya Adalchak village under Maner police station in Patna district. The hapless victim, Anita Devi alias Lal Pari Devi, was tied to a tree and thrashed mercilessly in full public view. Ironically, elderly women were also involved in the incident.

(Watch: Woman tied, lashed in Bihar)

The matter was raised in the state Assembly on Friday by RJD member Shyam Rajak. Energy Minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav replied that prime accused Ramayodhya Singh was arrested on the spot because the police reacted to the incident swiftly.

The punishment meted out to the 50-year-old woman by calling her a witch militated against the law related to tackle such incidents, since it prohibited calling any woman a witch, the minister said. Moreover, the culprits had also been booked under the law that prohibits atrocities on Scheduled Castes (Lal Pari was an SC), he added.

Lal Pari, who was mercilessly beaten by villagers, was rescued by police. ASP-cum-SDPO (Danapur) Nishant Kumar Tiwary said six persons were arrested.

The other arrested were identified as Akhilesh, Raghuvir, Santosh, Chhotan and Sukhdeo. Tiwary said while the prime accused was arrested on Thursday, the others were held on Friday. At least 25 people had been rounded up for interrogation.

The SDPO said the statement of the victim has been recorded. The police investigation is going on and, if necessary, names of others involved in the incident would be included in the FIR, he said. The SDPO said Lal Pari admitted that "she practised witchcraft." She also claimed to have "treated many patients."

Ramayodhya Singh, the prime accused, was getting his wife Manorama Devi treated by Lal Pari. Before Holi too, Lal Pari had "treated" Manorama. Though her condition improved on the first day of the treatment, it deteriorated later.

Angry at the delay in recovery, Ramayodhya dragged her to the village where he first tied her hands with ropes and then cut her hair. Thereafter, the public trial took place. Village women also smeared the face of Lal Pari with lime.