5 of family murdered on suspicion of practising witchcraft in Bihar, Opposition slams govt

Five members of a family, including three women, were allegedly killed and their bodies burnt on suspicion of practising witchcraft in Bihar’s Purnea district, police said on Monday.

Two persons were arrested in connection with Sunday night’s incident that invited a barrage of criticism from the Opposition parties.

Preliminary investigation suggests that five members of a family in Tetma village, under Muffasil Police station, were first murdered on suspicion of practising witchcraft. It appears that the accused then burnt their bodies in a bush. The incident took place on Sunday night, DIG (Purnea) Pramod Kumar Mandal told PTI.

Investigations also suggest that a total 30-40 villagers were present there during the murder of Sita Devi, Kali, Rani Devi, Babu Lal and Manjeet Ram, Mandal said.

After killing them, they took their bodies in a tractor to a bush and burnt them, he said.

He further said a section of villagers claimed that the killing might have taken place due to the recent death of a child in the village..

Two persons were arrested in this connection and several others detained by the police.

“It is suspected that the boy recently died in the village due to their black magic. It is being further investigated. All deceased belonged to a particular tribe,” said another official of the Muffasil police station.

Senior officials visited the spot, besides forensic experts and a dog squad to assist the investigators, said the DIG, who also visited the spot.

Opposition parties attacked the NDA government headed by Nitish Kumar, alleging that law and order has collapsed in the state.

Leader of Opposition in the assembly, Tejashwi Yadav, listed a number of other murders that have taken place in Bihar recently.

“Five members of a family were killed and burnt. Due to DK Tax, anarchy is at its peak in Bihar. DGP/Chief Secretary are helpless. Law and order situation has completely collapsed in the state,” the RJD leader said in a post in Hindi on X.

Yadav has been speaking about “DK Tax” in the past few months, but he never clarified who or what is DK.

“Day before yesterday in Siwan, three people were killed in a massacre. In recent days, three were killed in Buxar. In Bhojpur, three people were massacred. Criminals are on alert mode and the chief minister is unconscious! DK is enjoying it. Because DK is the real boss,” he said.

Independent Lok Sabha MP from Purnea, Rajesh Ranjan, alias Pappu Yadav, said the killing of five members of a family is “shameful”.

In an X post, he said: “I am ashamed. The world has reached Mars and our people are indulging in massacres on the suspicion of witchcraft!”

Bihar Congress chief Rajesh Kumar condemned the incident.

He said, “I must say that people, especially the poor, Dalits and socially marginalised are not safe in the state. This is called jungle-raaj. What happened to the chief minister? Why is he maintaining a stoic silence over the patheich law and order situation in the state?

CPI(ML) Liberation’s Bihar State Secretary Kunal also condemned the killings in Purnea.

“It’s a shocking incident and this shows the collapsed law and order situation in the state. Leaders of NDA parties are anti-Dalit and anti-poor. People will give them a befitting reply in the coming assembly polls,” he said.