Telangana: Son kills mother; thought she practised black magic
In yet another horrific incident of murder over suspected black magic, a man strangled his own mother to death over suspicions that she was practising sorcery on him. The murder took place in the Rajanna Sircilla district of Telangana, and the man has been arrested after his father filed a police complaint against him. Here are the horrific details.
The man blamed his frequent illnesses on sorcery
According to police, the accused, 30-year-old D Srinivas, started suspecting that his 52-year-old mother was practising sorcery on him as he fell ill pretty often. Unable to deal with his frequent illness, Srinivas decided to murder his mother, and strangled her to death late on Sunday night, presumably while she was sleeping. Notably, this is not the first such murder incident in India.
Dozens have been murdered over suspicions of black magic
Dozens of murders have taken place in India over suspicions of black magic, and the victims, mostly, have been women. In July this year, a woman was beaten to death by her neighbor who suspected her of practising black magic. The incident took place in the Palamau district of Jharkhand, and the accused was arrested immediately after the incident.
In August, police arrested six for a black magic-related murder
A month later, in August, the Rajasthan police arrested six people for beating a 40-year-old woman to death in the Kekri municipality in the Ajmer district. The woman, who was thrashed on suspicions of being a black magic practitioner, died of her injuries on the spot. Subsequently, police arrested the six for murder, and under provisions of the Prevention of Witch-Hunting Act, 2015.
Hundreds have been killed over the years
Earlier this month, a Jharkhand court sentenced two people to life in prison for murdering a woman and injuring her husband in 2015 over suspicions of black magic practice. Further, it has been reported that over 114 women and 79 men were killed in Assam between 2001 and 2007 on suspicions of being witches.
