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Witch-hunting: BA student killed

By AT Kokrajhar Bureau |

Member of a family accused of practicing black magic went missing since 22 April last at East Maligaon village in Kokrajhar district. The family member suspects foul play and filed a FIR at Kokrajhar police station on Thursday.

Ashinta Basumatary alias Ola, a BA 4 semester student at UN Brahma College, Kajalgaon in Chirang went missing from his house since April 22 last.

Meanwhile, police has started inquiry into incident and expected that the whole incident would be find after thorough investigation, said a senior police officer. A case has been registered in this connection with Kokrajhar PS,police official added.

Ashinta’s mother Gaijrai was accused of being a witch five years back after the death of her husband and forced to leave her house last December. She has since been living at her parents house at Sulmari in Gossaigaon subdivision.

In September 2013, the villagers of Sulmari and East Maligaon even held a meeting in this regard and a resolution was adopted that the family should be allowed to live in the village without any problem. But the family were harassed continuosuly forcing Gaijrai to leave her home and stayed with her parents leaving her two sons and a daughter.

The ordeal resurfaces again after Gaijrai came to visit her children for a family function few days back. Some villagers accused her of spelling black magic resulting the death of a cow in the village after her visit in the village.

Ashinta’s elder brother Mahanta said they received a threat few days back by some villagers, who even took away their goat as punishment. Mahanta said after receiving threat his brother(Ashinta) asked him and his wife to leave the place as precautionary measure.

Mahanta said he left for his in-law’s place Ultapani on April 20 last but could not contact his brother since April 22.

‘I heard that he was taken away and killed, he said.

The family member named five suspect-Thobra Narzary, Gobinda Basumatary, Elek Narzary, Borai Basumatary and Sontola Basumatary- in the FIR.

The family member demanded finding of Ashinta. They also demanded a thorough investigation into the matter and arrest of the culprits involved.

Anil Basumatary, a villager from Sulmari,was accompanied with Gaijrai said that they heard of Ashinta’s missing,so filed FIR with police. He expressed his suspect that the villagers of East Maligaon killed Ashinta for not getting his accused mother(Gaijrai) at her home.He also demanded that involved culprits be nabbed and punished. 

 

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Assam Times Kokrajhar bureau office, BTAD.

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