Assam: 4 get life term for murdering elderly woman in Biswanath on suspicion of practicing witchcraft

Nearly a decade after a gruesome case of witch-hunting shook Assam’s Biswanath district, a local court has sentenced four individuals to life imprisonment for the brutal murder of an elderly woman in 2015.

The Additional District and Sessions Judge of Biswanath Chariali, Kumud Baruah, convicted the four—Diliram Bey, Anima Ronghangpi, Raju Bey, and Noren Ronghang—under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code. All four convicts have been remanded to judicial custody following the sentencing.

The case pertains to a horrifying incident in Bhimajuli village, near the Arunachal Pradesh border, where a mob of around 30–35 villagers, allegedly led by Anima Ronghangpi and Diliram Bey, branded an elderly woman as a witch. The group dragged her out of her home, marched her to a nearby river, and beheaded her in full view of the community.

The victim’s daughter, Leila Orang, filed a First Information Report (FIR) at Biswanath Sadar Police Station, following which police launched an investigation under IPC Sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 448 (trespassing), and 302 (murder). Seventeen individuals were initially arrested, but one accused died during the trial. Proceedings continued against the remaining 16.

After a lengthy legal process, the court found four of the accused guilty. The remaining accused were either acquitted or are awaiting further legal action. Government prosecutors Arun Khatiyar and Jahnabi Kalita led the case on behalf of the state.