Death sentence for witch killer (Welcome to the 21st century?)

[The Straight Story]

Death sentence for witch killer

Mangaldoi (Assam), Nov 18: In perhaps the first ever verdict of its kind, a man accused of killing a couple branded as witches was sentenced to death today by a court in Assam's Darrang district.

Niranjan Khaklary, a 28-year-old farmer from Kobirali Kodumguri village of Darrang district, was convicted by the district and sessions judge of of killing 34-year-old N Daimary and 37-year-old Bimala Daimary on March 31, 2005.

A member of Khaklary's family had taken ill and did not recover even after being treated by several doctors. Villagers then alleged that the couple practised witchcraft and this had made Khaklary's kin ill.

Khaklary then axed the couple to death.

District and Sessions Judge Nalinakhya Sarma, delivering the verdict, said, "The heinous crime committed by you is unforgivable. You have no right to live and you shall be hanged to death." This is the second case of a person being sentenced to death in Assam within a week. Anupam Das, the killer of 10- year-old Varun Sandilya who was sexually abused and chopped to pieces, was given the death sentence on November 14. (Agencies)

http://www.chennaionline.com/colnews/newsitem.asp?NEWSID=%7B07A100CC-683A-4DDA-A1DC-0833D3142E8C%7D&CATEGORYNAME=CRME

There are some sick freaking folks out there in the world. Sometimes the news reads like we were living a few centuries ago. Damned sad.

[Mythsaje]

1. Superstition still holds a LOT of people in bondage to

outmoded ways of thinking.

There was a time when those who were thought to have mystical powers were respected, if not revered, but now they're an object of fear and hatred.

Funny how the influence of the Big 3 religions seem to have that effect on people.

[Skidmore]

2. People cling to superstition when they have no sense of

control in the events that swirl around them and they search for reasons for those happenings.

[lvx35]

3. Ignorance holds a lot of people in bondage.

These back country villagers didn't choose superstition over their education, the probably didn't have any education to start out with, which is not something you can blame on superstition or religion.

[Ian David]

4. Just like the people who believe a gay couple getting married next door harms them somehow...

because their Invisible Friend says it's wrong.