India villagers behead woman for 'witchcraft'

Police say villagers blamed a woman for their illnesses

An elderly Indian woman accused of practising witchcraft has been stripped naked and beheaded by villagers in the state of Assam, police say. 인도 아삼 주에서 마을사람들이 여성 노인이 마법을 행했다는 이유로 옷을 벗기고 목을 베었다고 경찰은 전한다.

They said that 63-year-old Purni Orang had been blamed for illness in the tribal settlement. 마을 사람들은 종족의 합의로 63세의 푸니 오랑이란 노인 여성이 제정신이 아닌 행동 때문에 비난을 받아왔다고 말한다.

Seven people, including two women, have been arrested over her killing. 2명의 여성을 포함 7명이 이 여성을 살인한 혐의로 체포되었다.

Police in Assam say nearly 90 people, mostly women, have been beheaded, burnt alive or stabbed to death after such accusations over the last six years. 아삼 경찰서는 지난 6년 동안 이와 같은 죄목으로 잡혀 목이 잘리거나 산 채로 불에 태워죽거나 흉기에 찔려 죽은 사람들이 대부분 여성들이며 대략 90명이나 된다고 말한다.

Branding women as witches is particularly prevalent among tribal communities and tea plantation workers in the state. 마법을 행한 사람이란 낙인이 찍힌 여성들은 특히 그 주에서 부족 공동체와 차농업하는 사람들 가운데 많다.

People in a village in Sonitpur district were falling sick, and some of them "blamed Purni Orang for their condition", local police official Samad Hussain told BBC Hindi.

"After that they branded her a witch and killed her," Mr Hussain said.

In October, an Indian athlete Debjani Bora was severely beaten after being branded a witch in Assam.

Experts say superstitious beliefs are behind some of these attacks, but there are occasions when people - especially widows - are targeted for their land and property.