Jorhat, May 3: Dibyajyoti Saikia, who is crusading against witch-hunt by writing songs to create awareness, is also slogging it out at ground zero by visiting a family that lost a child to superstition in Kokrajhar recently.

He is also keeping in touch with the police at Pulibar here where another incident was reported today.

Saikia is the also secretary general of Brothers, an NGO working for social welfare.

Saikia visited the home of Gajrai Basumatary at Holmari under Bauraguri police outpost in Kokrajhar district, whose son Achinta, a B.A. fourth semester student of UN Brahma College, was killed after being charged with practising witchcraft .

Achinta had gone missing on April 22 and his body was recovered on April 30.

Saikia said the motive behind Achinta's killing was possibly a land dispute over 7.5 bighas that he had inherited from his father who died in 2010.

"His mother Gajrai had been branded a witch in 2013 and had fled her husband's house at Pub Maligaon under Bismuri outpost, but Achinta stayed back," he said. Gajrai has remained at her parents' house at Holmari in Gossaigaon subdivision since then.

In October 2013, the villagers of Holmari and East Maligaon held a meeting and a resolution was adopted that the family should not be harassed and be allowed to live in the village with dignity. But the harassment continued, forcing her to leave her home.

The police are yet to arrest the main accused in Achinta's murder. Basumatary's family had named five suspects - Thombra Narzary, Gobinda Basumatary, Elen Narzary, Borai Basumatary and Sontola Basumatary - in the FIR.

The All Bodo Students' Union has demanded a high-level inquiry into the killing and the immediate arrest of the culprits.

But the police have arrested three persons - all relatives of the main accused - involved in the crime.

"We are trying our best to arrest the accused, who are still on the run," said a senior police officer in Kokrajhar.

The Absu has also demanded Rs 10 lakh as compensation to the family members.

On his way to Holmari, Saikia had received a call from Bahphala and was informed of a housewife being kept captive at her house on suspicion of being a witch.

"I immediately informed the Jorhat superintendent of police, Amanjeet Kaur, who initiated a rescue mission," he said.

The police said the woman, Mayarani Doley Pegu, had been married for four years but had not had a child. She, along with Ghanshyam Gowala, a resident of the village, used to visit different temples and traditional practitioners of medicine ( bez) for a remedy.

"In the past year, a few people died in the village and the people suspected that both Gowala and Mayarani were responsible for the deaths through witchcraft. Today they were both held hostage in their houses and the police had to rescue them. Mayarani's parents have arrived from Baghedhora, Merapani, in Golaghat district and she will be sent back with them for her own safety," additional superintendent of police Gunindra Deka said.

Saikia wanted to know why the anti-witchhunt bill passed by the Assembly on August 13 last year was taking so long to be implemented.

"If you ask the home department they give excuses. In the absence of a strong law, the hands of activists like me and the police are tied," he said.

Saikia said he had left the videographing of one of the songs incomplete to proceed to Kokrajhar. Singer Tarali Sharma has lent her voice to the song, Moi nohou daina, daini, (I am not a wizard or witch) Ei aigyontar parinoti (this is the outcome of ignorance), which evokes poignant emotions of a victim tortured and branded as a witch by her own village and clansmen.

The activist told The Telegraph that he had discovered this talent (of writing songs) a few months ago and decided that this could be another way to appeal to the people not to lose their humanity.

Singers like Zubeen Garg, Tarali Sharma, Bikshu and others have lent their voices to his songs, which will soon be compiled into a CD with the lead song being videographed.

"The suffering and torture that the victims undergo when branded witches, stirred something in my soul. This inspired me to write something which turned out to be poetic verse. Between October and November last year, I have composed five songs on witchcraft and through them, tried to give the message that there is nothing like daini (witch), and all these are superstitious beliefs which have absolutely no basis. I have also tried to arouse compassion for another human being through the songs, which I think will serve as a powerful medium," he said.

On January 3, Saikia had held meetings to bring back 58 people who had been ostracised by the community at Kewbra, Chhattisgarh, back to the fold.

Additional reporting by Preetam B. Choudhury in Kokrajhar