Mandi woman tortured: 81-yr-old records statement before magistrate

The 81-year-old woman, who was branded a witch and tortured by an angry mob in Mandi, recorded her statement before the civil magistrate at Sarkaghat on Wednesday.

The 81-year-old woman, who was branded a witch and tortured by an angry mob in Mandi, recorded her statement before the civil magistrate at Sarkaghat on Wednesday.

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Brought to the court amid tight security, she still appeared to be in shock from the incident.

MLA CONDEMNS INCIDENT

Sarkaghat MLA Col Inder Singh (retd) condemned the incident and said that Rajdei is a widow of a brave soldier who served the nation in the 1971 India-Pakistan war. He said that what shocked him the most was no one came to her rescue when a few people branded her a witch, smeared black polish on her face and dragged her around inhumanly. “There are several highly educated people, working in the field of social services and politics, who reside here but none of them came forward to stop the mob or show some sympathy to such an elderly woman,” he said.

CPM DEMANDS HIGH-LEVEL PROBE

Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader and Mandi zila parishad’s elected member Bhupinder Singh said that it was due to police negligence and inaction that the entire case unfolded this way. “It was the absence of action on time against these non-social elements that they were able to commit such an inhuman act. The role of police, local and district administration should also be examined and adequate action taken against them if found guilty of negligence,” he said.

Several social organisations of Mandi demanded that the Himachal Road Transport Corporation bus driver and conductor who saved the elderly woman from the clutches of the mob should be honoured.

In more disturbing details that have now emerged, the 81-year-old victim, unable to take the torture being meted out to her, had reportedly thrown herself in front of the bus to commit suicide. But the bus driver managed to apply brakes on time and save her from coming under the wheels of the bus.

Later, the bus conductor helped her board the bus even as the angry mob was trying to forcefully drag her back.

Rajdei reportedly informed the conductor that she had lost her wallet and had no money to pay the fare but her consoled her and took her to safety. The bus driver then dropped her to Barchhwar village, where her daughter resides.