Saturday, October 18, 2014

Indian athlete Debjani Bora beaten in 'witch hunt'

An Indian athlete has described how she was tied up and severely beaten after being branded a witch in her village in the north-eastern state of Assam.

Debjani Bora, a javelin thrower who has won several gold medals, fears her injuries may prevent her representing India in a forthcoming Asian contest.

One woman has been arrested for inciting a crowd to attack Ms Bora.

Witch hunts targeting women are common in parts of India and a number of those accused are killed every year.

Experts say superstitious beliefs are behind some of these attacks, but there are occasions when people - especially widows - are targeted for their land and property.

The latest incident took place earlier this week in Ms Bora's home village in the remote hill district of Karbi Anglong, where she also makes a living as a farm worker and lives with her husband and three children. Full story...

Related posts:
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  2. 'Witches' of India suffer agonies of superstition...
  3. Nepal woman attacked as "witch", stripped naked, forced to eat excrement...
  4. India: 3 young men beat mother to death in exorcism ritual...
  5. Cultural killings of women in India: perpetrators seldom punished as society...
  6. Nepal mob burns 'witch' alive in horrifying attack...

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