Daijiworld Media Network - Dumka
Dumka, Nov 4: In a shocking case of superstition-driven violence, a man in Jharkhand’s Dumka district allegedly murdered his 70-year-old mother, accusing her of practising witchcraft that he believed caused his teenage daughter’s death.
The incident took place on October 31 in Digha village under Gopikandar police station limits. The accused, identified as Ramjan Hembram (41), attacked his mother with a knife, inflicting multiple stab wounds.
Police said the elderly woman, who had been residing at her daughter’s in-laws’ house in Digha for the past few months, was rushed to Phulo Jhano Medical College and Hospital with grievous injuries. However, she succumbed during treatment.
Following a complaint filed by the victim’s daughter, Gopikandar police arrested Ramjan from his native village, Madhuban, and recovered the murder weapon along with blood-stained clothes used in the crime.
During interrogation, the accused reportedly confessed, claiming he killed his mother because he believed she was practising black magic. Police revealed that Ramjan’s 18-year-old daughter had died a few months ago after a prolonged illness, during which she had allegedly told him that her grandmother was behind her suffering.
“After his daughter’s death, Ramjan became convinced that his mother was using witchcraft against the family. He had even attacked her earlier. Fearing for her life, the woman had moved to her daughter’s in-laws’ house about 15 km away,” said Sumit Bhagat, in-charge of Gopikandar police station.
On the day of the crime, police said Ramjan was heavily intoxicated when he decided to kill his mother. “He went to Digha in an inebriated state and stabbed her to death,” Bhagat added.
Police have registered a case of murder under relevant sections of the IPC, and the accused has been remanded to judicial custody.
The incident has once again highlighted the deep-rooted problem of superstition and witchcraft-related violence in rural Jharkhand, despite repeated awareness drives and government interventions.