Athlete Debjani Bora tortured and beaten by villagers for mysterious deaths

Debjani Bora (image courtesy BBC)

Indian javelin thrower Debjani Bora was tied up and mercilessly beaten by her fellow villagers in a hill district of Karbi Anglong in Assam. The shocking incident that took place last week came to light following BBC reports.

Witch-hunts are a common tradition in villages across India and several people are killed after being identified as a ‘witch’. Superstitions such as these are the main reason behind the attacks on Bora and several others over the past years.

Bora has been living in her village all her life; she is married and has three children. She works on the farms as well as competes in athletic competitions to provide for her family.

Following the deaths of four people in the village, people got together and started praying to figure out the reason behind the deaths. Bora was beaten severely and even lost consciousness briefly. A local clinic helped her recover from her injuries and regain consciousness on Wednesday.

“Instead of finding out why all the deaths occurred, some village elders suspected a witch was driving the people to death and organised a prayer. As the villagers were chanting hymns, one elderly woman identified me as the witch and shouted that I should be punished. I was blamed for all these deaths in the village, wrapped up in fishing nets and beaten up severely," Bora shared her experience to journalists.

Karbi Anglong police chief Mugdha has made an arrest, with the female offender believed to have personal issues. Local police believe that Bora was forcefully dragged to the village community prayer hall to face a ‘public trial’ on charges of being a witch.