A mob of over 50 people attacked a family in Bihar’s Purnia district on Sunday night, killing five members of the family on suspicion of practising ‘witchcraft’. The victims were Sita Devi and her husband, brother, sister-in-law, and 16-year-old son Sonu Kumar.
The attack began when villagers accused Sita Devi of being responsible for the recent illness of Ramdev Oraon’s seriously ill child. This accusation allegedly led to the death of another child three days prior. The mob beat up all five family members before setting their bodies ablaze and hiding them under water hyacinth.
Sonu Kumar, who managed to escape, said villagers with bamboo sticks beat everyone in the house, calling Sita Devi a ‘witch’. He filed a police complaint on Monday, which led to the recovery of the victims’ bodies. Two people have been arrested so far in connection with the incident.
Source: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/mob-burns-5-of-family-alive-in-bihars-purnia-over-witchcraft-suspicion-8838378