Rohtas villagers lynch woman accused of being witch after murder of boy

PATNA: Angry over the murder of a four-year-old boy, the victim’s family and other villagers lynched a woman, who they accused of being a witch, in Bihar's Rohtas district on Sunday night.

Four-year-old Shivam Kumar disappeared from his house on Sunday evening and his body was found near the house of one Dashrath Singh, concealed in a jute bag at Akanshi Village under Agrer Police Station.

"We searched everywhere in the village but Shivam was nowhere to be found. Around 10 pm on Sunday, we heard a loud thud near the house of Dashrath Singh. When we reached there to check, we found a jute bag with the body of Shivam in it," said a villager.

As the jute bag was found near the house of Dashrath Singh, the villagers assumed that he or his family members were involved in the murder. The villagers who used to accuse Dashrath Singh’s wife Chinta Devi of being a witch, blamed her for the child’s murder.

The family members of Jaggu Singh, who is the father of the child, and some villagers got together and beat Chinta Devi to death.

"The child went missing on Sunday evening and his dead body was found near the house of a person named Dashrath Singh. The villagers got angry and lynched his wife Chinta Devi. The SDPO of Sasaram sub-division reached the spot along with the SHO of Agrer Police Station and they are investigating the incident," said Vinit Kumar, SP, Rohtas.

Following the incident, the family members of both the sides have fled from the village.