77-year-old woman thrashed, forced to drink urine on suspicion of black magic in Amravati

Villagers allegedly hit the victim with a wooden stick and slapped and thrashed her. Complainants have alleged that she was also branded with hot iron rods on her hands and legs.

Amravati: A 77-year-old woman was allegedly thrashed, forced to drink urine and branded with an iron rod on suspicion of practising black magic in a village in Maharashtra's Amravati district, police said on Saturday.

While the incident occurred on December 30, a police complaint was lodged earlier this month, and the victim's son and daughter-in-law approached senior officials on Friday demanding action, an official said.

The victim is a resident of Retyakheda village in Chikhaldara taluka, he said.

In a letter to the district collector and superintendent of police, the complainants alleged that the woman was alone at home on December 30 when her neighbours caught hold of her, alleging that she practised black magic, the official said.

Villagers allegedly hit the victim with a wooden stick and slapped and thrashed her. She was also branded with hot iron rods on her hands and legs, the complainants have alleged.

As per the complaint, the woman was forced to drink urine and consume dog excreta, following which she was paraded with a garland of slippers around her neck.

The victim's son and daughter-in-law, who were away for work, found out about the incident on January 5 and lodged a police complaint.

Talking to PTI, Amravati Superintendent of Police Vishal Anand said the incident was serious, and the complainants spoke to him on Friday.

The village is in the interiors of a forest, and a police official has been dispatched to verify the event, and accordingly, action will be taken.

He said it would also be verified if the concerned police station where the complaint was lodged tried to hide the incident, and action would be taken if there was any lapse.