Mob murders woman suspected of playing sorcery on child

The woman, Tikambai Shamlal Shahu (20), also a labourer, was suspected to have played black magic on Manisha, the two-and-half-year-old daughter of her neighbour Yogesh Chanru Thakur. Manisha had been laid low with fever for the last few days and despite medical treatment, had not recovered. Her father Yogesh Thakur (23) then approached a `baba’ from the nearby Phukat Nagar on Saturday morning to seek advice.

According to an information, the baba told Yogesh that a woman from his neighbourhood had played black magic on Manisha. Thakur’s needle of suspicion pointed at Tikambai. It is further learnt that Thakur’s wife took Manisha to Tikambai and begged of her to cure her daughter. However, Tikambai pleaded ignorance and said she could do little. Meanwhile, Manisha’s condition worsened during the day and she breathed her last on Saturday evening.

After the family performed the last rites on Manisha, a highly surcharged Yogesh called a meeting of the community panchayat at the open ground in Vijay Nagar the same night. A large number of Chhattisgarhis attended the panchayat, in which Yogesh squarely blamed Tikambai for Manisha’s death.

When the Panchayat reportedly asked Tikambai and husband Shamlal to clarify, both denied involvement. But Yogesh wasn’t convinced. He and other members of the community reportedly assaulted Tikambai, following which she succumbed out of fear and reportedly admitted to playing black magic.

Tikambai’s `admission’ was enough for the village panchayat to deliver its judgement — that Tikambai be stripped naked and paraded in the locality. Hearing the `judgement’, Tikambai’s husband Shamlal decided to flee along with his three children than to voice protest.

Meanwhile, back in Vijay Nagar, community members, which included an equal number of men and women, `implemented the judgement’ by stripping Tikambai and parading her in the locality. Enroute, she was assaulted with sticks, battons and was even molested, sources said. The three-hour ordeal proved too much for Tikambai who succumbed to the assault and became unconscious. She was later dumped outside the locality, where she died.

Shamlal Shahu narrated the incident to his relatives but preferred not to report the matter to police until dawn. On Sunday morning, he reached the Kalamna police station and narrated the incident. Police quizzed a number of people, when they were reached the spot where Tikambai lay dead.

Later 19 persons from the locality including four women were arrested by the police on the information provided by Shamlal.

According to sources, there were at least 50 persons from the community who were present at the panchayat. The police is likely to arrest more people soon.

Meanwhile, DCP Sanjay Kumar, who is supervising the investigations, told The Indian Express, that the role of the doctor who had treated Manisha would also come under scrutiny. Kumar said that although the doctor treated Manisha for high fever for a couple of days, it did not subside and led to her death.

According to Kumar, the police could go in for exhumation of Manisha’s body and conduct a post mortem to ascertain the exact cause of her death.