After a kangaroo court finds an Assamese man guilty of killing a woman, he was burned to death

• Image Credit: Internet

• Jul 10, 2022 | Kabir Chakraborty

"Around 50 to 60 locals went to Bordoloi's house and picked him up shortly after the court found him guilty. He was supposedly burned to death by pouring kerosene after being badly beaten. The burned body was subsequently interred by the people, claimed Das.

Digital
Desk: Police said on Sunday that a mob in Assam killed a 60-year-old man by
setting him on fire after a kangaroo court found him guilty of killing a female
cousin.

The
event allegedly occurred at around 5 p.m. on Saturday in Lalunggaon, a remote
tribal village under Samaguri police station in the Nagaon district of central
Assam, which is around 20 km from the highway.

"We
learned at around six o'clock that a person had been burned to death and buried
as per the ruling of the local customary court. A crew was dispatched right
away, and we discovered the victim Ranjit Bordoloi's body in a recently
excavated grave, according to Mrinmoy Das, SDPO Kaliabor.

Bordoloi,
a farmer, reportedly had burns covering approximately 90% of his body. The
post-mortem report on the body has been sent, and we are awaiting it. Five
villagers, including three women, have been held for interrogation in
connection with a murder investigation.

According to a
preliminary inquiry, Kabita Patar, a lady in her mid-20s who had recently been
married, was found dead in a local pond on the morning of July 2. The woman,
who also happens to be the wife of Ranjit Bordoloi's nephew, was apparently
expecting a child.

"Villagers
cremated Kabita without telling the police since they initially believed she
had drowned and that was the reason of her death. However, on July 5, rumours
that Kabita had been slain and dumped in the pond began to spread across the
hamlet, according to Das.

The villagers
assembled on Saturday to hold a kangaroo court as the rumours gained momentum,
and Bordoloi was found guilty of killing Kabita. Police stated that other
people said Bordoloi admitted to killing the woman, albeit this accusation has
not yet been independently corroborated.

"Around
50 to 60 locals went to Bordoloi's house and picked him up shortly after the
court found him guilty. He was supposedly burned to death by pouring kerosene
after being badly beaten. The burned body was subsequently interred by the
people, claimed Das.

For
their alleged complicity in Bordoloi's murder, the police have detained the
deceased woman's husband, mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and two other locals.
Police added that all five are expected to be taken into custody.

A woman named
Bharati Bordoloi, who was the first to propagate the rumours that Kabita had
been murdered and indicated the deceased Bordoloi might have been responsible
for her death, is among those who have been held. We anticipate receiving
further leads from her interrogation, added Das.

"Since
the event on Saturday, the majority of the inhabitants have left the village.
Our search operations are ongoing, and further arrests are anticipated. This
entire scenario occurred because locals still follow customary laws, wherein
local courts handle the majority of cases and citizens typically don't report
crimes to the police, the official continued.

Every year,
reports of witch hunts in Assam's several districts, where communities punish
their neighbours for claimed crimes and fatalities, continue to surface.
According to statistics provided by the Assam government, 107 people died as a
result of witchcraft-related occurrences in Assam between 2011 and 2019.

On
the pretext that the two were witches and engaged in black magic, locals in the
Karbi Anglong region of 2020 slaughtered a 50-year-old woman and a 28-year-old
male and set their bodies afire.

The Assam
Witch Hunting (Prohibition, Prevention and Protection) Act was approved by the
Assam assembly in 2015 in an effort to stop this practise. The Act provides
that murderous charges under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code shall apply
to deaths brought about by witch-hunting.