In a disturbing incident in a village near Malda city, a woman in her 80s lodged a complaint with police alleging that her daughter-in-law and her mother have been targeting her, accusing her of being a witch and trying to kill her by setting her ablaze. The woman claims that the false accusations, which have included physical violence and threats of death, are part of a larger scheme to harm her.
The elderly woman lives in a low-income household with brick walls and a tarpaulin roof. She has four sons and two daughters. Over the years, she has faced numerous hardships. Two of her sons passed away due to illness — one eight years ago and another two years later. Her younger daughter suffers from tuberculosis, and her husband has been paralyzed for the last three years. Despite these challenges, the elderly woman struggles to support herself by working as a housemaid.
However, things took a darker turn when her daughter-in-law began accusing her of witchcraft after the younger daughter fell ill. The elderly woman said in her complaint lodged with the Englishbazar police station that the accused two branded her a witch. The situation escalated when she was reportedly beaten with a bamboo stick and thrown to the ground.
“The woman suspects that on that day, she could have been burned alive had her neighbors not intervened,” said a police officer.
"I just want to live in peace," the woman said in her complaint, adding, “I simply want to eat rice in peace. But they keep torturing me. They accuse me of being a witch, and they beat me up."
Upon receiving the complaint, the Englishbazar police arrested the accused two. “Both are being interrogated and the complaint is being probed thoroughly,” said the officer.
Sunil Das, the Malda district president of West Bengal Vigyan Manch, has raised concerns that the accusations of witchcraft may be tied to a family or property dispute. “We have been working against the practice of witchcraft in Malda since 1987. In the past, there were several cases of violence related to these accusations, but such incidents have decreased significantly in recent years. Now, when such allegations arise, we often find that they are linked to family issues or property disputes.”
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