Man gets death penalty for killing couple on charges of sorcery

Mangaldai, Nov 18 (UNI) A person was sentenced to death by the Darrang district Sessions judge for murdering a couple on allegations of practicing witch-craft.

In the maiden death verdict of the district till date, 30-year-old Niranjan Khakhlary was sentenced to death by hanging for murdering a person and his wife, projecting them as sorceress.

District Sessions judge Nalinakshya Sarma pronounced the verdict accusing Niranjan under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code, stating that the crime was heinous in nature.

The incident had occurred on May 31 last year at Kabirali Kadamguri village under Kalaigaon police station in Udalguri district.

The convict had killed his neighbour Nelson Daimary and his wife Bimala Daimary with an axe on a village road. Both the husband and wife had died on the spot.

Later, villagers nabbed Niranjan and handed him over to Kalaigaon police station.

Niranjan, in his statement before the judge, had said he was suffering from headache and suspected that Nelson had cast a magical spell on him.

On hearing the death verdict, he shouted that he was innocent while his lawyer said they would move to the higher courts against the sentence.

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