Tripura tribal woman killed for 'practising witchcraft'

Agartala, September 29 : A 25-year-old tribal woman was killed by her brother-in-law in Tripura for allegedly practising witchcraft, police said here on Tuesday. Sanjya Munda was allegedly killed by her brother-in-law Kartik Munda, 23, at Sidhai in western Tripura on Monday night. “Kartik’s one-year-old son Arab was suffering from fever for the past few days and he died on Monday night. Kartik suspected his son died due to the black magic practiced by his sister-in-law. He then killed her,” a police official said. Police arrested the youth on the basis of a statement by the victim’s husband, the elder brother of the accused. The practice of branding women as witches and torturing them continues in remote, rural and tribal areas of Assam, Tripura and other north-eastern states. In the last few years, more than 50 women have been tortured and beaten up on suspicion of practising witchcraft or black magic in Tripura. Such killings due to superstition are the maximum in Assam, which forced the state government to pass a law in the assembly in the past. (IANS)