Bihar family burned alive over witchcraft allegations: Here's what happened
What's the story
In a shocking event, five members of a family from Bihar's Purnia district were allegedly burned alive by villagers on Sunday night, accusing them of practicing black magic. The victims have been identified as Babu Lal Oraon (50), his mother Kato Devi (65), wife Sita Devi (48), son Manjit Kumar (25), and daughter-in-law Rani Devi (23). Only one member of the family, who fled to his maternal grandmother's house in another village, survived the attack.
Attack details
Attack on family in dead of night
The attack was reportedly triggered when a villager named Ramdev Oraon's son died, and another son also became ill. Villagers suspected Sita of witchcraft and attacked her family. Recalling the attack, Sonu Kumar, Sita's son, said villagers armed with bamboo sticks assaulted his family, calling his mother a "witch." After the assault, they were burned alive, and the bodies were hidden under water hyacinth.
Investigation progress
Police complaint filed by survivor son
Purnia Sub-Divisional Police Officer Pankaj Kumar Sharma said Sonu filed a police complaint on Monday. "Sonu Kumar said his family members were beaten and burned on suspicion of practicing 'witchcraft' and their bodies were thrown away. We have recovered the bodies," Sharma said. As of Monday, three men who allegedly led the mob have been arrested.
Relative
Raids are ongoing
"Four names are mentioned in the FIR, three have been arrested, but indications are emerging that the entire village may have been involved. Raids are ongoing to apprehend the remaining accused and we are also investigating to check for any further involvements," Sharma said. Among those arrested is local occult practitioner Nakul Oraon, who is believed to have instigated the mob.
Political reaction
Incident draws criticism from political leaders
The incident has drawn sharp criticism from political leaders. Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav slammed the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government for failing to maintain law and order in Bihar. Independent Lok Sabha MP Rajesh Ranjan expressed shame over such incidents happening in modern times, while Bihar Congress chief Rajesh Kumar condemned the attack on marginalized communities, calling it "jungle-raj."