Assam: 23 get life sentence for 2012 witchcraft-related killing in Charaideo

23 people were on May 19, awarded life imprisonment for killing a woman on suspicion of practising witchcraft 13 years ago in Assam’s Charaideo district.

Charaideo District and Sessions Judge Abubakkar Siddique pronounced the judgment by convicting 12 men and 11 women for committing the crime, and sentenced them to life imprisonment, besides imposing a fine of Rs 5,000 each.

The court also ordered the convicts to pay a compensation of Rs 8 lakh to the victim's family.

The 2012 incident had sparked widespread outrage and led to a prolonged trial that lasted 13 years.

The victim was subjected to severe physical torture and eventually set ablaze by a group of people in Jalha village in Charaideo on suspicion of practising witchcraft, police said.