Guwahati: Ten people have been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Chirang district and sessions judge court in a witch-hunting case.
The sentence was pronounced by justice Yusuf Ajaz at the district and sessions court in Bijni on Tuesday.
According to reports, the case dates back to 2001 when the accused persons allegedly killed three women in Chirang on accusations of practising witchcraft.
Witch-hunting is a persistent problem that appears to have no end in rural Assam.
Last month, a couple was allegedly slain in Assam’s Baksa district on suspicion of practising witchcraft.
Reportedly, the couple was murdered by one Suraj Ekka at the Doomni tea farm in the district. He allegedly stormed into the couple’s home and brutally murdered them.
Ekka had blamed the couple for his wife’s failing health, which despite multiple treatments had not improved.
Ekka was arrested when the couple’s daughter filed a complaint. During questioning, he admitted to committing the crime.
The Assam Witch Hunting (Prohibition, Prevention, and Protection) Act, 2015, has been in effect since 2018. The Assam assembly enacted it in 2015, with provisions for prison terms of up to life.