Assam: 107 people killed in witch-hunting incidents since 2011
Guwahati: A total of 107 people have been killed in witch-hunting incidents in Assam in the past eight years, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary informed the state Assembly on Saturday.
Eighty-four people have died due to witch-hunting from 2011 till May 2016 while 23 more lives were lost to it till October this year since the BJP-led government came to power in the state, he said in response to a written question by Congress legislator Nandita Das.
The state government had notified the Assam Witch Hunting (Prohibition, Prevention and Protection) Act, 2015 in October last year and is carrying out awareness drives against the superstitious belief, Patowary said on behalf of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who holds the Home portfolio.
Patowary told the House that Kokrajhar, Chirang and Udalguri districts under the Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD) jurisdiction have recorded the highest number of witch-hunting deaths at 22, 19 and 11 respectively.
Nine deaths were reported in Biswanath, seven in Goalpara, six each in Nagaon and Tinsukia and four each in Karbi Anglong and Majuli districts, he said.
Of the 23 persons who died in the state due to witch- hunting since May 2016, 12 were men and 11 women, the minister added.
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Man rapes 13-year-old stepdaughter in Beed; booked
Beed, Apr 13 (PTI): A 13-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted by her stepfather in Maharashtra's Beed district, police said on Monday.
Based on a complaint, the police have registered a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in connection with the incident, which occurred on April 9, an official said.
According to police, the teen's mother divorced her first husband nine years ago and married the accused, with whom she has a son.
On the afternoon of April 9, the accused allegedly sexually assaulted his stepdaughter while his wife was away and threatened her into silence, the official said.
He said that the assault came to light when the mother returned home and noticed a change in her daughter's behaviour and questioned her. The girl narrated the ordeal, following which a complaint was lodged at the Kaij police station.
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