The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : 15 persons injured in attack near Nizamabad

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Monday, Apr 21, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

15 persons injured in attack near Nizamabad

Staff Reporter

NIZAMABAD: In yet another incident of sorcery-related violence, 15 persons were injured, eight of them seriously, when a group of people attacked them with weapons on the excuse that they were practicing black magic, on Sunday. Surprisingly, the village is just 7 km from the district headquarters, almost on the fringes of the town.

Acting on a tip-off the police led by Deputy SP K. Anjaneyulu rushed to the village and shifted the injured in an ambulance to the district headquarters hospital where the condition of Guddi Rajanna, Korivi Ambaiah, Chakrapani, Pydipitla Gangaram, Kuruma Gangadhar, Kuruma Yellaiah, Basith Karranna and Kesapuram Narsaiah is stated to be serious. The rest of the people were moved to a safe place.

Police take over office

On arriving at the village, the police first took over the gram panchayat office where those allegedly practicing black magic were detained by the villagers. The police faced stiff resistance from the villagers when they tried to disperse them from the panchayat office premises and locked the office keeping the victims inside.

The attackers demanded that the police hand over the victims saying that they had been practicing black magic in the village for some years. The angry mob complained that some people had also fallen prey to the black magic. Some even announced through a public address system that if anyone supports the victims they would have to pay a penalty.

According to an eyewitness account, the mob attacked the victims when they were taking bath in groups early in the morning.

After giving them a severe thrashing the attackers confined them to the panchayat office.

“Had the police not arrived on time, our people would have been killed by the villagers,” said a family member of one of the victims. The police brought the situation under control by deploying additional forces. The situation is tense, but under control, said the Deputy SP. A case was registered against 13 persons under Sections 147, 448, 342, 324 read with 149 IPC.

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Andhra Pradesh