An Assam court has sentenced six men to life imprisonment for the brutal murder of an 80-year-old woman in Kamrup (Rural) district. The victim was beaten and burned alive in 1995 after being accused of practicing witchcraft, according to prosecutors. This case highlights ongoing issues surrounding witchcraft allegations and violence against women in the region, raising concerns about community safety and the need for stronger legal protections.
Despite the law, cases linked to allegations of witchcraft have continued to be reported in the state. Police arrested six men on murder charges but initially said they had not confirmed whether she was killed on suspicion of practising witchcraft. As per police records, Maria Boro, a resident of Bordangerikuchi village, was murdered by a group of locals. A case was subsequently registered at Baihata Chariali Police Station. Police identified the accused as Soneswar Boro, Jungle Boro, Suraj Boro, Kandura Boro, Hareshwar Boro and Dhanla Boro. All of them were residents of the same village where Maria lived. The incident in Beloguri Munda village in the Howraghat area led to a suo motu case under the Assam Witch Hunting (Prohibition, Prevention and Protection) Act. Twenty people, including four women, were subsequently arrested in connection with the killings.
The incident happened at Bordangerikuchi village under Baihata Chariali Police Station in Kamrup (Rural) district in 1995, when a group of men beat the woman, set her ablaze and later buried her half-burnt body near her house, according to the prosecutors. The prosecutors said that after the initial investigation, police registered a case against the six under Sections 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting while carrying a deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly), 302 (murder), 448 (house-trespass) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of an offence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The Rangia Additional Sessions and District Judge’s Court started hearing the case in 2013, and several arguments took place during the proceedings. “On the final day, the court Judge Mukul Chetia found all these six accused guilty and sentenced them for life under 302 of IPC. Additionally, five years of imprisonment was awarded under Section 201,” prosecutors said. Assam enacted the Assam Witch Hunting (Prohibition, Prevention and Protection) Act in 2018, making witch-hunting a cognisable and non-bailable offence. In December 2025, a couple in Karbi Anglong district were allegedly beaten with sharp weapons and burnt alive by villagers who suspected them of practising witchcraft. The victims were identified as Gardi Birowa, 43, and his wife Mira Birowa, 33. In 2024, the state cabinet approved the Assam Healing (Prevention of Evil) Practices Bill, 2024, aimed at preventing evil and magical healing practices carried out in the name of treatment. In December 2023, a 30-year-old woman, Sangeeta Kati, was allegedly burnt alive in Bahbari village under Tezpur Police Station in Sonitpur district.
They said that the incident was triggered by the death of a local resident who underwent a traditional treatment process. “They held Maria Boro responsible for the death and blamed her for practising witchcraft,” prosecutors said after the verdict. Police said the couple were attacked inside their house before it was set on fire.
