Three families of a tribal village in South Dinajpur were allegedly ostracised for practising witchcraft and extorted of ₹2.35 lakh after a young woman from their neighbourhood fell ill.
The incident occurred at Birohini village, under Amritkhand gram panchayat of Balurghat block, around 120 km from Raiganj.
According to police, the victims, led by Sunil Kisku, head of one of the families, along with his son and daugther’s families, were accused of practising witchcraft after a villager’s daughter took ill during the festive period.
Kisku said they were detained in a room by other residents and forced to pay money to “cure” the girl.
He filed a written complaint at Balurghat police station on Tuesday night against eight persons, alleging confinement, threats and extortion.
The police have registered a case following the complaint.
As per the complaint, the family’s ordeal began on Saptami of Durga Puja which was September 27, when Kisku went to participate in a festival dance event in the village.
A villager, Jewel Soren, stopped him and accused him of causing his daughter’s illness.
The following day, village elders took both families to a soothsayer in Bihar, who allegedly declared that Kisku was a sorcerer responsible for the community’s misfortunes.
After returning, an arbitration meeting was held in the village on October 8, where Kisku was “found guilty” and ordered to pay ₹1.5 lakh for the girl’s treatment, failing which he would be beaten. Under pressure, Kisku mortgaged his land and paid the amount to the village headman, Sunil Hembram.
Later, on October 10, villagers again visited the soothsayer in Bihar, and Kisku was forced to pay another ₹85,000. The accused families were then ordered to eat only vegetarian food for seven days and warned that they would be held responsible for any future illness or death in the village.
“They called me a sorcerer and took all my money. We have nothing left,” Kisku told reporters. “If the sick girl dies, they said they would kill me.”
His daughter Rajni said: “We are terrified. No one in the village supports us. My father mortgaged our land to pay them. We just want our money back.”
Devdoot Barman, gram panchayat pradhan of Amritkhand, said local representatives were “trying to resolve the matter by sitting with both sides.”
Vikram Prasad, deputy superintendent of police, Balurghat, confirmed: “A case has been filed under specific sections. We are also organising awareness drives in the area.”