Jharkhand woman killed over witchcraft suspicion, accused surrenders at police station

Gumla (Jharkhand), July 30 (IANS) A 40-year-old woman was allegedly hacked to death with an axe on suspicion of practising witchcraft in Khatgaon village under Palkot police station limits of Jharkhand’s Gumla district on Thursday, police officials said.

The accused later surrendered before the police at the police station.

The deceased, identified as Taramuni Devi, was doing dishes near a village school when Shamil Dungdung, a resident of the same village, allegedly attacked her with an axe, accusing her of practising witchcraft.

She sustained severe injuries to her head and other parts of the body and died on the spot.

After the incident, the accused walked into the Palkot police station and surrendered before the police.

Police rushed to the scene, took the body of Taramuni Devi into custody and sent it for postmortem examination.

The accused has been detained and an investigation is underway.

According to the victim’s nephew, Ranjit Kerketta, the accused had attacked Taramuni Devi in a similar fashion in 2025 also. Although she was seriously injured in that assault, but she somehow survived.

Family members alleged that despite police action at the time, the accused continued to threaten her, branding her as a witch, and eventually carried out the fatal attack on Thursday.

Based on a complaint lodged by the victim’s husband, Anmol Kerketta, an FIR has been registered against the accused at the Palkot police station.

Preliminary investigation has revealed that the accused had been suffering from epilepsy for nearly three years. He reportedly believed that it was Taramuni Devi who used witchcraft to make him ill.

Police are examining all aspects of the case and are questioning the accused.

Witch-hunting remains a persistent and brutal practice in Jharkhand witnessing some of the highest incidences of this violence, particularly against tribal women.

–IANS

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