A day after a tribal village court in Lalgarh “sentenced” a woman to death for causing the death of one Mamoni Murmu through witchcraft, district officials used members of the local gram panchayat (GP) to ensure her safety and transferred her to another location.

Since last November Lalgarh has been rendered off-limits to government representatives by the People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA). According to the police, cadres of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) are running the show and propping up the committee in the area, thereby virtually creating a “liberated zone”.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Lalgarh Block Development Officer (BDO) Sourabh Bari said the village is inaccessible due to the road blocks put up by the committee.

“We heard of Sombari Mandi’s plight. As roads were not accessible we sent members of the local GP to talk to the villagers. Sombari has left Dumurkotha village and is now staying with relatives. GP members were sent on Tuesday and Wednesday to convince the villagers. They spoke to the families of Sombari and Mamoni,” Bari said.

On June 6, Sombari and two other women — Mukhi Mandi and Arati Murmu — were accused by the villagers of causing the death of Mamoni using witchcraft, the police said. They were then locked up in a room with Mamoni’s corpse and asked to “revive” it.

On Tuesday, when their efforts failed, the villagers took the advice of a local ‘witch doctor’, who pronounced Sombari as the main culprit while giving a clean chit to Mukhi and Arati. Accordingly, a kangaroo court sentenced Sombari to death.

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