Overview
- Gardi Birowa, 43, and his wife, Mira Birowa, 33, were attacked with sharp weapons and their home was set on fire Tuesday night in No. 1 Beloguri Munda village in the Howraghat area of Karbi Anglong.
- Karbi Anglong’s senior police leadership said assailants stormed the house and that initial findings suggest widespread village involvement with no immediate alert to authorities.
- A case has been registered under the Assam Witch Hunting (Prohibition, Prevention and Protection) Act with relevant Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections added, and officials visited the site to launch the probe.
- Police report ongoing raids and questioning to identify all suspects, while some media accounts claim arrests have been made, reflecting conflicting reports on custody status.
- Officials point to a persistent pattern of witch-hunting violence in parts of Assam, noting past Supreme Court directives and records of at least 160 deaths between 2001 and 2019, with awareness drives to be strengthened.