Witch-hunt: Two held for attacking woman athlete

The villagers had organised a prayer service after a faith healer said the place was under the spell of a witch.

A day after a medal-winning woman athlete was attacked at a village in Karbi Anglong district of central Assam, police on Thursday arrested two persons, including a priest, and are in search of three more accused, including two women.

Karbi Anglong SP Mugdha Jyoti Mahanta said Debajani Bora (51), a well-known athlete and winner of several medals in national meets, was attacked by a group of fellow villagers who labelled her as a witch. The incident took place while Bora was attending a mass prayer service in the naam-ghar at Serekali village under Dokmoka police station on Wednesday.

“The priest suddenly attacked her and said he had a dream in which a goddess said that Debajani Bora was a witch,” SP Mahanta said.

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While the priest pinned her down, another person brought a fishing net and tied her up, he added. Priest Biswa Medhi and Radha Laskar, the other attacker who netted her, have been arrested.

On Wednesday, the villagers had organised a prayer service after a faith healer said the place was under the spell of a witch. He had also reportedly told the priest that a goddess would appear in his dream and identify the witch, the SP added.

“We, however, suspect that the priest and some of his associates had some old score to settle, especially because the victim is an empowered woman known for her outgoing nature,” SP Mahanta said.

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