Death for one, life imprisonment for 11 others in witchhunt case

By: Syeda Ambia Zahan
GUWAHATI: A local court in Assam on Friday awarded death sentence to one person and life imprisonment to 11 others in connection with a witch-hunting incident that took place in Majuli district on August 28, 2012.
The Jorhat district additional session judge’s court declared all the accused as convicts in connection with the murder of a family in Borduar village of Majuli (then a division of Jorhat district). The victims — Rajkumar Doley (38), his wife, Bornali, and their younger son Moni (14) — were killed by a group of villagers on suspicion of practising black magic.
The villagers first abducted Rajkumar from his farm and then went to his house in search of his wife and other family members. They kidnapped Bornali and Moni and took all three of them to the banks of the Subansiri where they were killed using machetes and sticks. Their bodies were then cut into pieces and thrown into the river.
The accused were tried under sections 302 (punishment for murder), 143 (unlawful assembly), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence) and 364 (kidnapping or abducting in order to murder) of the IPC. The court ordered death sentence for prime accused Rajen Doley. The 11 others who have been awarded life imprisonment are Bamun Doley, Raju Doley, Lakhindar Patir, Pulin Doley, John Doley, Jaanma Doley, Anil Doley, Limai Doley, Atul Doley, Biswa Patir, Baku Doley and Bimal Patir. One of the accused, Pulin Doley, died in jail during the trial period.