Branded witches, beaten to death, two killings expose superstition’s deadly grip in rural Chhattisgarh

RAIPUR: In two chilling cases of superstition-fuelled violence in Chhattisgarh, two women — including a 71-year-old paralysed widow living alone in Jashpur — were murdered in separate districts after being accused of practising witchcraft.The first case came to light in Jashpur’s Bagicha region, where Phoolmati Bai, 71, was allegedly beaten to death in her sleep by a villager who suspected her of casting spells on his family after his children repeatedly fell ill.Police said the incident took place in Gitaripani village, where the elderly woman was found dead inside her home with severe injuries on her head and face. She was living alone in her house after the death of her husband and children, and was dependent on relatives in the village for food and care as she was paralysed and unable to move about.Investigators identified the accused as Chandan Ram, 31, a resident of the same village from the Pahadi Korwa community. Police said he had been harbouring suspicion that Phoolmati Bai was behind the recurring illnesses in his family and attacked her with a wooden stick while she slept, later covering the body with a blanket.The crime surfaced when a relative went to deliver food and found her dead. A wooden stick was recovered from the spot. During questioning, the accused allegedly confessed to the murder. He has been arrested, the weapon seized, and sent to judicial remand.In a similar case in neighbouring Gaurela-Pendra-Marwahi district, a woman identified as Kaushalya was allegedly murdered in Pendra police station limits after being blamed for the death of a relative’s son months ago.Police said the main accused, Dhirpal Shyam, suspected Kaushalya of using witchcraft after his son died during treatment around three to five months ago. Nursing that grudge, he allegedly entered her house along with two aides while she was alone and attacked her repeatedly on the head with a heavy stone, killing her on the spot.The incident occurred in Kharri village. Family members found the murder after returning home and alerted police. During investigation, Dhirpal was detained and allegedly confessed to carrying out the crime with the help of two relatives. All three accused have since been arrested and sent to jail on judicial remand.The back-to-back killings have once again exposed the deadly hold of superstition in rural pockets of the state, where elderly and vulnerable women are often targeted and branded as practitioners of black magic after illness or death in a family.