Terrified family members of Mandar killing victims have been left with no choice but to spend sleepless nights in their homes as main culprits, involved in the killings, are still at large. Worried with the sluggish attitude of the police towards their arrests, the family members also apprehend they might be killed anytime as the handful of policemen deputed in the village would not be able to save their lives, if they were attacked by the mob.
“Since the main accused persons like Sandeep Khalkho, Sadeep Ekka, Rajesh Tigga, Sukra Oraon alias Dakla Oraon, Romit Khalkho and Sano Oraon are still out of the police net, we are not able to sleep properly in our houses as there is always a risk of being killed by them. We are not safe even inside our houses,” said kin of one of the victims requesting anonymity.
Out of a total of 50 persons who have been made accused in four FIRs registered at Mandar Police Station, only 35 persons have got arrested so far while there is not trace of others posing a severe threat on the life victim’s family members.
Police on the other hand, claimed that the process of their arrest was on and remaining persons will soon be arrested. “We are conducting raids at all possible locations where they could have been hiding. We are going to arrest them at any cost. We have put in all our efforts to catch them,” said officer in charge of Mandar Police Station Ram Narayan Singh.
The treat perception is there even after a police team of 2-8 is camping in the village round the clock. The victims’ family members have been told to inform the police immediately if they come across any of the accused persons, added the OC.
Recalling the incident on that dreadful night, Matius Khalko told that it was quite unexpected from the co-villagers with whom he never had any confrontation earlier during his lifetime. “Everything was normal till the evening but all of a sudden people barged into my house forcefully and killed my wife Jasinta Khalkho in front of me and my kids after dragging her to the ‘akhra’ and beating her ruthlessly with sticks and bamboos,” Khalkho said.
The crowd, according o Khalkho, had turned so brutal that after killing all the five women ruthlessly, Rajesh Tigga brought a big bolder from somewhere and crushed their faces completely so that no one can identify them. Each and every bone of all the five bodies, right from their palm to the toe, was also broken by the culprits by hitting on their hands and legs, explained Khalkho. “In order to involve every villager in the incident, even those people who did not hit a single stick, were also made to hit on the bodies. Everyone right from children to the aged ones, were asked to hit on the five bodies lying at the ‘akhra’ with bamboo sticks and those who were not willing to do so, were forcefully made to do so,” said Khalkho.
Now the primary concern of victim’s families was to sustain themselves in the village as these four families have been boycotted by the villagers imposing a kind of embargo on them.
Five women allegedly accused of practicing witchcraft, were mercilessly killed in Kanjia village with traditional arms by local youths on August 11. The women, who were allegedly branded as witches by the villagers, could not be saved by their kin as the armed youths also attacked and threatened them for their lives.