Bihar: Locals burn woman alive for alleged witchcraft', attack cops

A woman lost her life in yet another case of superstition belief in Bihar. In the Gaya district of Bihar on Saturday evening, a woman from the Scheduled Caste (SC) community was burned alive at her home after neighbours accused her of being a witch.

The incident took place in an isolated hillside area of Pachmah village within the boundaries of the Maigra police station adjoining the Jharkhand forests. Rita Devi, 45, the wife of Arjun Das, was attacked by locals, who then forced the local police team to step back from the area.

When further backup under Imamganj SDPO Manoj Ram arrived, they discovered the woman's body, which had been taken to Gaya for a post-mortem. Nine ladies were detained in connection with a case that was registered under sections 302 and 436 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the provisions of the Witchcraft Act. According to senior superintendent of police (SSP) Harpreet Kaur, a search is currently underway to find the men wanted for the murder, Hindustan Times reported.

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Crime scene has been examined by a team from the Patna-based forensic science lab (FSL), which further took samples for investigation. Parmeshwar Bhuiyan of the village had passed just a month prior from a protracted illness, but his family thought Rita Devi had murdered him using witchcraft. Parmeshwar belonged to the Bhuiyan community, whereas Rita belonged to the Das community.

Since the passing, there has been conflict between the families and those who support them. In the afternoon, a panchayat was summoned, and Parmeshwar's relatives hired an exorcist from Jharkhand who alleged to have used witchcraft to force the woman to confess to the murder. The exorcist left, however, when he observed a tense situation and the potential for a clash.

The woman ran away, followed by her family. However, the victim's home was attacked by family members and Bhuiyan community supporters using traditional weapons. The woman hid herself inside the covered house as the Das family's men fled to the adjacent forests.

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After breaking into the house, the group began beating the woman until she was knocked unconscious. They splashed the house in gasoline and set it on fire. The woman died from burning. Her husband and two sons had hurried to the neighbourhood police station, but as soon as they arrived, the officers there were attacked with large stones and made to leave.

Only late in the evening, with significant backup under SDPO Manoj Ram, were police able to access the area and make arrests.

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