Tortured and humiliated publicly by fellow villagers who alleged she was a tonhi (witch), Shivwati has vowed she will not go back to her village ‘‘till the villagers repent’’ or till she proves herself innocent.‘‘The slur has killed my desire to live on. It’s only for my kids that I decided to pull on. I will not go back till the villagers repent or till I prove myself innocent,’’ Shivwati, 29, says. She was discharged from hospital yesterday. Youth kills grandmom GUWAHATI: A 70-year-old woman was murdered by her grandson at Borgang tea estate in Assam on Saturday, who suspected her of practising witchcraft, police said. Rakesh Lahar buried his grandmother Bhutuni Sautal near their house after cutting her into pieces. He then surrendered to police. (UNI) Residents of village Junwani, 75 km from Raipur, Shivwati and her husband Vinod have decided to go to her parental home and stay there till her wounds heal.‘‘The entire village is at fault, even women and children did not spare me. They dragged me out by my hair and stripped me naked. They took out lathis and beat me up mercilessly. No one came to my rescue,’’ Shivwati recalls.She says her husband tried to help her but was pushed away and abused. He later convinced the village chowkidar to lodge a complaint with the police and that saved her, she adds.‘‘At one stage, I even thought it was all over for me and I won’t survive. For six days, I was tortured, beaten up and forced to confess that I’m a tonhi,’’ she alleges. Shivwati’s back still bears marks of physical torture and her hands and feet are still swollen.Meanwhile, 13 people, including eight women, have been arrested in connection with the incident and sent to jail. Four other accused are still absconding, police say. In Junwani, policemen have been guarding Shivwati’s house, and villagers, when asked about the incident, plead innocence. ‘‘I was away, visiting my in-laws in Durg,’’ says Bihari Lal, a school teacher.‘‘It’s shameful that the woman was tortured for five days and even village chowkidar Kalywan Dass did not report it. I have recommended action against him. Police are investigating,’’ says District Collector C.K. Khaitan.
