Elderly man accused of witchcraft, home vandalised in Alipurduar village

Alipurduar: Accused of practicing witchcraft, an elderly man was forced to flee his home after it was vandalised by a mob of local residents in the Garovita area, under the Banchukamari Gram Panchayat, near Alipurduar town. The incident occurred around 10:30 pm on Sunday.

According to local sources, at least five unnatural deaths have been reported in the area over the past year. Many villagers allege that Abhoy Charan Roy, a traditional healer locally referred to as a ‘Gunin’, is responsible. Acting on these suspicions, a group of residents stormed his house on Sunday night, causing extensive damage. Roy reportedly escaped under the cover of darkness, fearing for his life.

Tensions ran high in the Garovita area throughout Monday. Despite the seriousness of the incident, police officials have so far declined to comment and no formal statement has been released.

Local sentiment remains hostile. Several residents have demanded that Roy never be allowed to return to the village. However, most chose not to speak on record when approached by the media.

In response to the incident, members of the Alipurduar district unit of Paschim Banga Vigyan Mancha, a science advocacy group, visited the area on Monday to conduct an awareness drive.

For nearly three hours, they engaged with residents in an effort to combat superstition and promote rational thinking. “It is deeply disturbing that such strong belief in witchcraft persists in a place so close to the district headquarters,” said Sanjay Dhar, Secretary of the organisation’s Alipurduar unit.

“Despite our attempts to reason with the locals using scientific explanations, their convictions remained unchanged. The situation is concerning, but we are committed to ongoing efforts. We will continue to monitor developments and return with further awareness campaigns.”