Hard days for Bechani Devi Yadav, 32, started three years ago after her neighbors accused her of being a witch and using her supposed supernatural powers to cause illness to people, animals and even plants. [break]
She has been thrashed in numerous instances.
She continues to go from pillar to post asking for justice.
Every time she visits the police with her complaint of assault from her neighbors, instead of punishing the perpetrators, the police recommend her to reconcile with the offenders.
After each reconciliation, she breathes a sigh of relief that last only a few days and the problem starts all over again.
Lately, according to Yadav, she was thrashed by her own in-laws. In a complaint filed to the police, she has categorically named one her relatives Siva Narayan Yadav for beating her mercilessly on the charge of being a witch.
“You witch! You killed your husband and now you are going to ruin our entire family,” she quoted Siva Narayan as saying while he along with his wife Chaman Devi and daughter Renu thrashed her.
She says that Siva Naryan´s family kicked her and beat her with bamboo rods.
She has sustained injuries to her head and face in the attack. Bechani, who was present at yet another reconciliation meeting at Rajbiraj police office on Sunday, expressed unhappiness over the way the authority has been dealing with her problems.
“I have complained a number of times in the last three years but the police settle the case after holding the meeting with the locals. It is not a permanent solution of my problem but the authority is not sensitive toward it,” said she.
According to Bechani, Shiva Narayan and his family assaulted her, charging her with causing the death of some trees in their field.
“You wielded your evil power causing our trees to wither,” she quoted Shiva Narayan´s family as saying.
Bechani´s relatives and neighbors started turning hostile toward her after her husband died of cancer five years ago.
Despite repeated attempts, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Shyam Singh Chaudhary could not be reached for a comment on the case.
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