Woman branded as 'witch', beheaded

A woman, suspected to be a witch, was beheaded in Sonitpur district of Assam, a senior police officer said today.
The 50-year old woman's head was chopped off by unidentified people who blamed her of practising witchcraft last night, at Barghuli village in Tezpur police station area, Superintendent of police Sanjukta Parashar told PTI.
The head and torso were sent to Kanalata Civil hospital here today for post-mortem.
Parashar said four persons were picked up in connection with the incident and interrogation was on to find if there could be some other reason behind the grisly crime.
Some local people told the police the deceased had a dispute with neighbours over killing of a hen a month ago.

In two similar macabre acts earlier this year, one woman was beheaded at Biswanath Chariali and a minor girl decapitated at Rangapara with both branded as witches.