Ranchi, Feb 20: In a chilling case of alleged witch-hunting, a 32-year-old woman and her two-month-old infant were burnt alive by a mob in Kalaiya village of Chaibasa district on the night of February 17, police said. The victims were accused by villagers of practising witchcraft, triggering a brutal attack that has shocked the state.
According to officials, the incident occurred around 9 pm when a group of villagers gathered outside the family’s home and created an uproar, branding the woman a witch. Despite pleas from her husband to resolve the matter before the Panchayat the next morning, the mob allegedly drenched the woman and her infant in kerosene or petrol and set them on fire. Both succumbed to severe burn injuries.
The woman’s husband, 40-year-old Kolhan Sinku, was also assaulted during the attack but managed to escape. He reportedly ran towards the police station and later sought shelter at a relative’s house before lodging a formal complaint. He is currently undergoing treatment at a government hospital. Police recovered the charred bodies of the mother and child and sent them for post-mortem examination.
Preliminary investigations suggest that nearly ten people, including members of the same family, were involved in the attack. So far, four accused have been arrested and their statements recorded. A case has been registered and further investigation is underway. Police sources indicated that the violence may have been triggered by the recent death of a relative, for which the woman was allegedly blamed on grounds of superstition.
“After the husband lodged the police complaint, he was admitted to the government hospital in Kumardungi. We have arrested four men named in the complaint. We are trying to identify the women who also took part in the crime, relying merely on superstition,” Jagannathpur SDPO Raphael Murmu said.
Taking suo motu cognisance of the incident, Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad, Executive Chairman of the Jharkhand Legal Services Authority (JHALSA) and a judge of the Jharkhand High Court, directed authorities to extend immediate legal and financial assistance to the victim’s family.
Following the directive, the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), Chaibasa, provided essential food supplies to the affected household and sanctioned financial aid of ₹25,000. Justice Prasad also ordered awareness programmes in remote villages to combat superstition and prevent incidents of witch-hunting.
The incident has once again highlighted the persistence of witch-hunting practices in parts of Jharkhand, prompting renewed calls for strict enforcement of laws and intensified awareness campaigns to curb superstition-driven violence.
