RANCHI: An elderly couple was beaten to death by villagers in Bero, hardly 40 kilometers from the state capital Ranchi, on suspicion of practicing witchcraft.
Police have lodged an FIR against 150-200 people on the basis of the statements recorded by their son.
According to police, an elderly woman Birsi Oraon, 55, was dragged out of her house and beaten to death by the villagers on suspicion of practicing witchcraft. When her husband, Mangra Oraon, 75, intervened to protect her, he was also thrashed.
After getting the information, the police reached the spot and found the body of Birsi Oraon while her husband was lying unconscious at the ‘Sarna Sthal’ (common religious place of a village).
“The woman died on the spot while her husband was taken to the nearby hospital, but he succumbed to injuries late on Monday night on Monday. An FIR has been lodged at Bero Police station under sections related to witchcraft along with other sections such as 147, 148, 307 and 302 of IPC,” said SP (Rural) Naushad Alam.
Though the entire village is accused, but they are trying to identify the main culprits in the case, he added.
Alam further added that no one has been named in the FIR as Mangra Oraon, who also got injured in the incident and was not able to speak properly, died before registering his statement. “It appears that Mangra Oroan died of internal injury,” he added.
In the FIR lodged by son Somra Oraon, his mother was mentally unstable for the last few days and often used to walk out of the house and roam around in the
village. On Sunday night, she went out of the house but his father took her inside and went to sleep.
“When I woke up in the morning, I found my mother dead and father injured at the ‘Sarna Sthal’. With the help of our mukhiya (village head), I took my father to Bero Hospital and brought him back in the afternoon after the treatment, but he succumbed to his injuries late in the night on Monday,” said Somra Oroan.