A family of five was brutally murdered and burned alive by villagers in Bihar’s Purnia district over suspected witchcraft. The victims were accused of performing occult rituals that allegedly caused recent deaths and illnesses in the area.
The child survivor, who witnessed the attack, implicated all the villagers involved in the killings. The village has been abandoned, with police patrolling the area along with a dog squad. An individual, Nakul Kumar, was arrested for allegedly inciting the crowd.
The incident is linked to traditional healing and rituals practiced in the village. One of the victims’ sons had died recently after undergoing these rituals, and another child had fallen ill. The four charred bodies were recovered from a nearby pond, while one body remains unidentified.
Bihar’s Leader of Opposition, Tejashwi Yadav, has cornered the government over the incident, tweeting about recent massacres in other districts. The police have confirmed that the murders were related to witchcraft and occult rituals, and the victims were beaten before being burned alive.
Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/bihar-purnia-witchhunt-villagers-kill-burn-5-family-members-over-suspected-witchcraft-2752176-2025-07-07