3 including septuagenarian assaulted by mob on witchcraft suspicion

Palamu, Sep 12 (PTI) Two women and a septuagenarian were thrashed by a mob on suspicion of practising witchcraft in Jharkhand's Palamu district, police said on Friday.

The incident occurred at Dangwar under Hussainabad police station limits on Sunday evening, but the matter came to light after a video in connection to the incident went viral on social media on Thursday, they added.

"The incident took place on Sunday. As the information reached the police, a team was immediately sent to the village. A 73-year-old man, identified as Bhagwan Mali and the two women, who were in their early 50s, were rescued from the mob," Hussainabad Police Station in-charge, Sonu Kumar Chaudhary told PTI.

He said they asked the victim's family to lodge an FIR, but no complaint has been registered so far.

"People came to know about the incident after a video of the incident went viral on Thursday evening," he added.

The police officer said that Bhagwan Mali has been admitted by relatives in Banaras Hindu University (BHU) hospital in the neighbouring state of Uttar Pradesh, where his condition is stable. The two women were discharged after primary treatment at a private clinic in Dehri.

The police officer said that the last rites of a resident of Dangwar village who had died on the same day was being held at Muktidham on the bank of Son river ghat on Sunday evening.

"When most of the relatives returned after the cremation, a few persons found Bhagwan Mali and the two women standing near the funeral pyre and alleged that they were doing some 'tantra mantra'. When this information reached the village, the relatives of the deceased person reached Muktidham and thrashed the elderly person and the two women on the accusation of practising witchcraft," said the police officer. PTI COR ANB RG