A court in Assam has sentenced six men to life imprisonment for the 1995 murder of an 80-year-old woman who was allegedly targeted on suspicion of practising witchcraft.

The Rangia Additional Sessions and District Judge's Court passed the sentence on Wednesday after convicting the six accused for the killing of Maria Boro.

According to the prosecution, Boro was attacked at her home in Bordangerikuchi village, under Baihata Chariali police station. She had allegedly been accused of practising witchcraft and was subsequently killed, with her body being burnt.

The six convicts are Soneswar Boro, Jungle Boro, Suraj Boro, Kandura Boro, Hareshwar Boro and Dhanla Boro, all residents of the same area.

The court convicted them under Sections 147, 148, 149, 302, 448 and 201 of the Indian Penal Code and sentenced each of them to life imprisonment.

The case was registered in 1995 and remained pending for several years. Wednesday's verdict finally brought the decades-old trial to an end.

The case highlights the continuing violence linked to allegations of witchcraft in Assam, where elderly and vulnerable persons have, in several instances, been targeted on such accusations.