Guwahati: A couple was allegedly slain in Assam’s Baksa district on suspicion of practising witchcraft.
Suraj Ekka, according to the authorities, murdered the couple at the Doomni tea farm in the district. He allegedly stormed into the couple’s home and killed them with a hammer.
Sukra Kasua and his wife Balamadina Tirkey have been identified as the couple.
Ekka had blamed the couple for his wife’s deteriorating 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 bodies were sent for a post-mortem examination, and the inquiry is still ongoing.
It may be mentioned that in rural Assam, witch-hunting is a persistent problem that appears to have no end. In February, a lady in Bhergaon, Assam’s Udalguri district, was beaten to death on suspicion of practising “witchcraft.”
In an attack led by members of her own community, she was seriously injured. She died as a result of her injuries.