Bihar horror: Five family members burnt to death in village, following accusations of witchcraft

Five members of a family in Bihar were allegedly burnt to death, in what is the latest example of a 21st century witch hunt in the Purnea district. "People of the entire village were involved," explained SDPO Pankaj Kumar Sharma.

The Bihar police explained that they were trying to determine the identity of the deceased, after recovering the bodies. Three people have already been arrested in connection with the murders, while a manhunt has been launched to nab the others.

According to DIG (Purnea) Pramod Kumar Mandal, the brutal killings took place at the Tetna village on Sunday night. While some reports suggest that they were beaten and then burnt to death, DIG Mandal explained that the five deceased victims were first murdered due to the witchcraft allegations, and then burnt in a bush, as per the preliminary report, a PTI article said.

He added that the accused were suspected to belong to the same community.

According to the police, the witchcraft allegations may have stemmed from the recent death of a child in the village. “It is being said that the child of one Ramdev Oraon died three days back. It is believed that they indulged in black magic and they were killed in this connection,” SDPO Pankaj explained, as per a Times of India report.

Former Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav criticised the NDA-led Bihar government, stating that the “DK Tax” was the reason that anarchy peaked in the state, with law and order collapsing under CM Nitish Kumar.

According to India TV, the only survivor of the gruesome crime was a 16-year-old teenager who managed to escape certain death, and reach his maternal grandparents' house, where he explained what had happened, after which the police were called.

The incident has understandably spread fear in the village, as dog squads and forensic experts are currently being used to investigate the evidence recovered from the spot.

India