MP: Elderly couple allegedly thrashed on suspicion of witchcraft; 7 booked

Bhopal: An elderly couple was allegedly thrashed, stripped and forced to eat faeces in Madhya Pradesh’s Shivpuri drict on suspicion of witchcraft, said police. (Representative Photo) Police said the incident took place in the drict’s Silanagar village, and based on the complaint filed the couple, seven people have been booked under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Discover the thrill of cricket like never before, exclusively on HT. Explore now! Speaking to the media, Shivpuri superintendent of police (SP) Raghuvansh Singh Bhadoria said the family of one of the accused identified as Rajendra Kushwaha alleged that the elderly couple was stealing “innerwear for witch crafting”. On February 15, a panchayat was held in the village in which the elderly couple were also asked to attend. “The 62-year-old man and 60-year-old women alleged that they were thrashed with slippers and stripped before a procession was taken out in the village. After the procession, they were forced to eat human excreta,” said the SP. After investigation, Amola police station filed an FIR under sections 294 (using obscene language), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 328 (causing hurt means of poison), 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) against seven accused, SP Bhadoria added. All the accused were arrested and sent to jail on Saturday evening. ABOUT THE AUTHOR She is a senior reporter based at Bhopal. She covers higher education, social issues, youth affairs, woman and child development related issues, sports and business & industries. …view detail