Purnea murders rock Bihar: Teen saw mob beat family to death over ‘witchcraft', lived to tell the tale

The Print

10-07-2025

Before the family could make sense of the situation, Ramdev returned with a mob of around 200 people carrying weapons, allegedly catching hold of five members of the family, and beating them up before 'setting them on fire'.
The teen saw fellow villager Ramdev Oraon, standing with his sick nephew Sunil Oraon and warning that his entire family would be burnt alive if they didn't 'treat' his nephew within half an hour. Having lost his son around 10 days back, Ramdev appeared very aggressive.
New Delhi: A 17-year-old and his family in Tetgama village in Bihar's Purnea were jolted awake from their sleep Sunday night by a loud hostile warning: 'You're a witch. You ate my son Sumit, and now will you eat my nephew too?'
The murders in the village, predominantly home to a tribal community, have rocked Bihar, drawing widespread condemnation from various political leaders.
An FIR was filed Monday based on the complaint of the 17-year-old, who alleged that his family was assaulted by the mob and burnt. Purnea district police have so far arrested three accused of the murder and disposing of the five bodies, three kilometres away from the village. The deceased have been identified as Babu Lal Oraon (65), his wife Sita Devi (60), their son Manjeet Oraon (25), daughter-in-law Rani Devi (22), and Babu Lal's mother Kota Mosmat (75).
The three arrested have been identified as Chhotu Oraon and Nakul Oraon from the same village, while the third accused, Mohammed Sanaul, hails from the neighbouring village of Kumardih.
Bihar Director General of Police Vinay Kumar said Tuesday that the accused persons used a tractor to dispose of the bodies after killing them. The tractor belonged to Sanaul. However, he said that victims were not burnt alive, but after they had died.
'The post-mortem report confirms that the victims were not burned alive, as there were no signs of smoke inhalation,' the DGP said at a press conference in Patna.
'They threatened him (Babulal) with dire consequences. When he failed to cure the child, villagers belonging to the Oraon caste group turned on him in anger, and beat him up severely. After the assault, they attempted to dispose of the body by burning it and loading it onto a tractor.'
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How the complainant 'escaped'
Purnea district police rushed their team to the village Monday morning after receiving a call from Babulal's minor son, after he regained consciousness and alerted the local police station.
In his complaint to the police filed Monday afternoon, he laid out the sequence of events Sunday night. He alleged that Ramdev Oraon had returned within half an hour of sounding his warning, as he had said, around 10.30 with a mob of around 200 people, which carried sticks, rods and other sharp weapons, and included women villagers.
Even before the family could think how to protect themselves, the mob allegedly caught hold of five of them and tied them up with ropes. The minor further claimed that all of them were beaten up mercilessly and assaulted, while being taken towards the village pond.
A woman caught hold of the complainant himself, he said, and took him to the pond, where he allegedly witnessed the grievous assault on his parents, brother, sister-in-law and grandmother. While they were allegedly trying to burn them, taking them to be half-dead, the complainant managed to escape the woman's grip.
'When they were burning them by sprinkling oil on them, I somehow freed my hand and ran away from there. I went a little far away and hid in the dark, and was watching them beat up and burn my family,' the 17-year-old alleged in the police complaint, a copy of which ThePrint has seen.
The charred remains of the bodies were allegedly filled in sacks before a tractor was called to the spot, and the bodies were taken to an unknown place, he further said.
Based on the complaint, Purnea police Monday booked 23 suspects named by the minor complainant, including prime accused Ramdev, his wife Soni Devi, and brother-in-law Anil, and one Nakul under Sections 190 (liability of members of an unlawful assembly), 191 (2) and (3) (rioting), 118 (1) and (2) (voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 126 (2)( wrongful restraint), 103 (2), (mob lynching), 238 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention Of Witch Practices Act, 1999 that criminalise identification of a woman as a witch, and damage caused on that pretext, have also been invoked.
Purnea Superintendent of Police Sweety Sehrawat said in a statement that the bodies were buried inside the pond, three kilometres away from the village, to keep them from being discovered.
As the matter came to light, senior public servants and representatives rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation.
Purnia District Magistrate Anshul Kumar said that the bodies were tied and buried in the pond in the intervening night of Sunday and Monday. 'A postmortem has been conducted as per the established procedure, and as per the traditional way, last rites have been performed,' DM Kumar said Tuesday.
He further said that the minor complainant has been provided with adequate security at an institution. 'We have arranged a ration for the family, and will ensure a compensation amount will be disbursed to the victims' family as soon as possible.'
Both DGP and DM emphasised the need for awareness and education about the false claims and beliefs of 'black magic' and 'witchcraft'.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)
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