HP govt directed to file fresh status report, SIT formed

SHIMLA :Himachal Pradesh high court on Monday directed the state government to file a fresh status report within six weeks in a case related to torture of an elderly women in Sarkaghat of Mandi district, on the suspicion of her being a sorceress.

A division bench comprising the chief justice L Narayana Swamy and justice Jyotsna Rewal Dua passed the orderson a petition taken up suo moto by the court as Public Interest Litigation on news items published in various news papers on November 10 and 11.

Twenty-one people were arrested for allegedly parading an 81-year-old woman in her village after blackening her face and garlanding her with shoes on the suspicion that she practised sorcery. The incident took place in Samahal village under Gahar Panchayat in Sarkaghat subdivision.

It was also reported that the elderly woman was threatened to face the wrath of a local deity, in case she approached the police to make a complaint.

During the course of hearing, it was brought to the court’s notice that the FIR dated

November 9, has been registered at Sarkaghat police station and taking note of the seriousness of the offence, the SIT has been constituted to probe the case.

During the hearing, the court observed that all the accused persons have been arrested and sent to judicial custody and Mandi superintendent of police (SP) Gur Dev Sharma is supervising the investigation and day-to-day progress in the matter.

The court posted the matter in the second week of January.

The police had swung into action and made arrests only after the video of the incident went viral on social media and came to Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur’s notice, prompting him to direct police to register the FIR.

THE COURT OBSERVED THAT MANDI SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE IS SUPERVISING THE INVESTIGATION AND DAY TO DAY PROGRESS IN THE MATTER