'Evil' witch-hunt: Tribal woman tortured in MP
Suchandana Gupta
[ Wednesday, July 23, 2003 12:12:42 amTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
BHOPAL: A tribal woman, resident of Chief Minister Digvijay Singh’s home
district of Guna, was forced to consume pig’s excreta as punishment for being
a ‘‘witch’’.
The woman, Ratnabai, was accused of casting an ‘‘evil magical spell’’
which allegedly led to the death of a one-year-old child. The police have
arrested five persons in connection with the case.
But Ratnabai refuses to go back to her village. She along with her husband and
their three children have taken refuge in her parents village in the same
district, police said.
The incident occurred on July 10 where Sonbai, grand-daughter of tribal Bhamra,
fell critically ill.
Bhamra took Sonbai to a priest in the neighbouring Bhaora village. The priest
said spell of an evil witch has possessed the child.
Sonbai died the following day. Bhamra and two others carried her body in pursuit
of the ‘‘witch’’. He suspected Ratanbai as the plausible
‘‘witch.’’
[ Times Of India, Wednesday, July 23, 2003]