Sorcery: Woman paraded naked

BARIPADA: A 40-year-old Dalit woman was paraded naked and beaten up mercilessly for allegedly practising sorcery in Parulia village under Kuliana police limits in Mayurbhanj district on Monday. Sources said a group of villagers dragged  Baishakhi Singh out of her home and paraded her naked on the road in full public view. They also beat her up till her elderly mother rescued her from the angry mob.Sources said while she was crying for help, villagers stood mute spectators to the gruesome act. Police have registered a case and begun investigation. Kuliana police station IIC Sandhyarani Behuria said a few villagers had taken ill and suffered from fever for a long period which led to the suspicion about witchcraft.  “The victim was unmarried and mentally unstable. She used to murmur something very often which led to suspicion that she had practised black magic,” Behuria said. The villagers had warned her earlier too. Cases have been registered against Bhusan Singh, Dimi Singh and Buthu Singh of the village and efforts are on to nab them.Due to illiteracy, sorcery killings and torture cases have become common in the tribal-dominated villages of Mayurbhanj.In the last six months, six persons have been killed over sorcery in the district.  On February 18 five members, including two women of a Dalit family in a tribal village in Balasore district were allegedly stripped and paraded naked before being beaten up by a group of villagers who suspected them to be practising sorcery.