Body of woman lynched in suspicion of practising witchcraft exhumed

 The mortal remains of a woman, who was allegedly lynched by local villagers on suspicion of practicing witchcraft, were exhumed by Tripura Police late Tuesday night. The body of Nanda Rani Debbarma was buried shortly after the incident, which took place on October 26, in an apparent attempt to conceal evidence, authorities said.

Superintendent of Police (SP) West Tripura, Namit Pathak, said that four to five individuals are suspected of being involved in the assault that led to the woman's death. The exhumation of her body took place at Manchar Kobra village under the Sidhai Police Station, in the presence of an executive magistrate.

The victim’s husband, Magrai Debbarma, stated that the woman had been unwell for the past few months, with her behaviour becoming erratic at times. “She had been ill for a while and occasionally exhibited frenzied behaviour. However, she was not always like that," he explained. Debbarma further alleged that some villagers had made videos accusing his wife and other women in the village of practicing witchcraft.

The son of the deceased, speaking to the police, accused the assailants of subjecting his mother to violent abuse, ultimately leading to her death. Following the incident, the woman's sister filed a police complaint at the Sidhai Police Station.

“The accused persons have been identified and a manhunt has been launched to track them down. All of them are absconding right now but we hope all of them will be under police custody soon,” a police official added.