Branded as witch, woman killed by husband, in-law

Vadodara: A 32-year-old woman living in Kawant taluka of Chhota Udepur was branded as a witch and killed by her husband and father-in-law last week.
The body of the victim, identified as Masli Bhil, was found atop a cliff on Diwali day, following which her family members were informed. Police initially suspected that she died an accidental death, but later her brother alleged that her husband Desing Bhil and Kursiya Bhil had killed her.
Police booked the father-son duo and took them in for questioning. During interrogation, they admitted that they had killed Masli as they had a superstition that she was a witch.
“Four years ago, Desing’s elder brother Raising died of snake bite. Since then, they had been blaming the woman for it,” said sub-inspector M S Dihora of Kawant police station. “They used to tell the woman that she was a witch and had turned into a snake to kill the man,” he added.
Fed up with the constant harassment, Masli had gone to live with her brother some days before her death. But as her seven-year-old son was at Desing’s home she returned to her husband’s home.
“Her brother had warned her against going back to her husband as they had threatened to harm her. The woman, however, went because of her son and was murdered,” Dihora said.
The two accused strangulated her to death sometime between November 3 night and November 4 and dumped her body on a cliff near the village to avoid any suspicion. On Monday, the two accused were sent to judicial custody.