The District and Sessions Judge Court here on Thursday awarded life imprisonment to two persons, including an ex-Serviceman, for slitting the neck of an eight-year-old child for witchcraft.
The convicted persons are Baikuntha Das and occultist Choudhury Abinas Das, a retired Army man, of Gokhapada village under the Marshaghai police limits.
On the eve of Mahavishuba Sangkranti day on April 13, 2015, they slit the neck of Rajkishore Nayak (8) alias Raju, son of co-villager Purnima Nayak on the Luna riverbed to sacrifice his blood to evil spirit for attaining mastery in sorcery.
Judge Basudev Pandab also imposed a fine of Rs 60,000 on each of them. They would undergo five years’ imprisonment concurrently if they fail to pay the fine.