Seven Dalits thrashed in Maha on suspicion of practising ‘black magic’; 13 held

Local villagers assaulted seven members of two Dalit families in a hamlet in Maharashtra’s Chandrapur district on suspicion of practising ‘black magic,’ leaving them badly injured, police said on Monday.

According to them, several of the victims were attacked and bound to wooden poles. The incident occurred over the weekend in hamlet Wani under Jiwti tehsil and 13 people have been detained so far.

On Saturday night, seven members of two families were brought to the village square by local residents who accused them of practising ‘black magic and possessing spirits,’ said Atul Kulkarni, Additional SP of Chandrapur. People began pouring mud on the seven Dalit community members, some of them were older folks, as they approached the village chowk, he added.

According to the police officer, the mob tied up three of them, including two women, to wooden poles and battered them with rods and also punched them. The villagers then turned to four more members of the families and assaulted them as well. Some people assaulted the woman victims in the face.

Police officers arrived in the hamlet late at night after receiving information about the incident and sent the victims, who had suffered significant injuries to the Chandrapur Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) for treatment.

A large posse of police officers was deployed in the area on Sunday to prevent any more untoward incidents and preserve law and order.

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Inspector Santosh Ambike said police have detained 13 people in connection with the incident and have charged them with violating the anti-superstition act.

Meanwhile, Chandrapur MP Suresh alias Balu Dhanorkar paid a visit to GMCH on Monday, where he interacted with the victims and inquired about their well-being. The Congressman strongly condemned the attack and urged that the perpetrators be held accountable.

Dhanorkar remarked that Maharashtra is a developed state and he urged people not to be swayed by superstitions.