West Singhbhum (Jharkhand): A 32-year-old woman and her one-year-old baby were allegedly set on fire by a mob after she was branded a witch in Jharkhand’s West Singhbhum district, police said on Wednesday.
The incident occurred late Tuesday night in a village under the Kumardungi police station area. Four men have been arrested in connection with the crime.
According to the police complaint filed by the woman’s husband, he woke up in the middle of the night after hearing people calling out to him and his wife. When he stepped outside, he saw around a dozen villagers accusing his wife of practising witchcraft.
Amid the commotion, the mob allegedly poured kerosene on the woman, who was holding their child, and set them ablaze. Both died on the spot, police said.
The husband was also injured during the attack but managed to escape. He spent the night at a relative’s house before reaching the police station on Wednesday morning to lodge a complaint. He was later admitted to a government hospital in Kumardungi for treatment.
Jagannathpur SDPO Raphael Murmu said four men named in the complaint have been arrested, and efforts are underway to identify the women who allegedly participated in the attack.
Police said a relative of the husband had died earlier on Tuesday following a prolonged illness, and some villagers blamed the woman for the death due to superstition.
A case has been registered, and further investigation is ongoing.
