Purnia: A shocking case of mob violence has emerged from Bihar’s Purnia district, where five members of the same family were brutally beaten and burned alive on suspicion of practicing witchcraft. The incident took place in Tetgama village under the jurisdiction of Mufassil police station.
According to police reports, villagers accused the family of being responsible for a series of recent deaths in the locality. The victims—Babulal Oran, Sita Devi, Manjit Oran, Rania Devi, and Tapato Mosmat—were allegedly assaulted and then set on fire by a group of locals. All five victims belonged to a single household.
The gruesome killings have triggered panic in the village, with many residents reportedly fleeing their homes. Law enforcement agencies have intensified investigations with the assistance of a dog squad. Police have recovered four charred bodies from a nearby pond and registered a case.
Authorities have arrested Nakul Kumar, who has been identified as the main accused in the case. He is alleged to have incited the mob to commit the murders. A survivor, Lalit Kumar, said that his family was attacked based on false allegations of witchcraft and lamented that the assailants later dumped the bodies in water.
Reacting to the incident, Bihar’s Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav criticised the Nitish Kumar government for its failure to ensure public safety. “The criminals are alert, but the Chief Minister is in a state of unconsciousness,” he wrote in a post on social media platform X.
Police have stepped up security in the area to prevent further unrest as the investigation continues.