Latest news with #superstition
Khaleej Times
4 days ago
- Khaleej Times
Indian villagers beat five to death for 'witchcraft' in northern state of Bihar
Indian villagers beat a family of five to death and dumped their corpses in a lake accusing them of "practising witchcraft" after the death of a boy, police said on Tuesday. Three people have been arrested and have confessed to the crime, police in the northern state of Bihar said in a statement. Three women -- including a 75-year-old -- were among those murdered. The main accused believed that his son's recent death was caused by one of those killed, and blamed "him and his family of practising witchcraft", the statement said. "After beating the victims to death, the perpetrators loaded the bodies onto a tractor and dumped them in a pond," police said. The murderers and victims all belonged to India's Oraon tribe in Bihar, India's poorest state and a mainly Hindu region of at least 130 million people. Despite campaigns against superstition, belief in witchcraft remains widespread in rural areas across India, especially in isolated tribal communities. Some states, including Bihar, have introduced laws to try to curb crimes against people accused of witchcraft and superstition. Women have often been branded witches and targeted, but the killing of the family of five stands out as a particularly heinous recent example. More than 1,500 people -- the overwhelming majority of them women -- were killed in India on suspicion of witchcraft between 2010 and 2021, according to the National Crime Records Bureau. Some believe in the occult, but attackers also sometimes have other motives including usurping their rights over land and property.
France 24
4 days ago
- France 24
Indian villagers beat five to death for 'witchcraft'
Three people have been arrested and have confessed to the crime, police in the northern state of Bihar said in a statement. Three women -- including a 75-year-old -- were among those murdered. The main accused believed that his son's recent death was caused by one of those killed, and blamed "him and his family of practising witchcraft", the statement said. "After beating the victims to death, the perpetrators loaded the bodies onto a tractor and dumped them in a pond," police said. The murderers and victims all belonged to India's Oraon tribe in Bihar, India's poorest state and a mainly Hindu region of at least 130 million people. Despite campaigns against superstition, belief in witchcraft remains widespread in rural areas across India, especially in isolated tribal communities. Some states, including Bihar, have introduced laws to try to curb crimes against people accused of witchcraft and superstition. Women have often been branded witches and targeted, but the killing of the family of five stands out as a particularly heinous recent example. More than 1,500 people -- the overwhelming majority of them women -- were killed in India on suspicion of witchcraft between 2010 and 2021, according to the National Crime Records Bureau.
Arab News
4 days ago
- Arab News
Indian villagers beat five to death for ‘witchcraft'
NEW DELHI: Indian villagers beat a family of five to death and dumped their corpses in a lake accusing them of 'practicing witchcraft' after the death of a boy, police said Tuesday. Three people have been arrested and have confessed to the crime, police in the northern state of Bihar said in a statement. Three women — including a 75-year-old — were among those murdered. The main accused believed that his son's recent death was caused by one of those killed, and blamed 'him and his family of practicing witchcraft,' the statement said. 'After beating the victims to death, the perpetrators loaded the bodies onto a tractor and dumped them in a pond,' police said. The murderers and victims all belonged to India's Oraon tribe in Bihar, India's poorest state and a mainly Hindu region of at least 130 million people. Despite campaigns against superstition, belief in witchcraft remains widespread in rural areas across India, especially in isolated tribal communities. Some states, including Bihar, have introduced laws to try to curb crimes against people accused of witchcraft and superstition. Women have often been branded witches and targeted, but the killing of the family of five stands out as a particularly heinous recent example. More than 1,500 people — the overwhelming majority of them women — were killed in India on suspicion of witchcraft between 2010 and 2021, according to the National Crime Records Bureau. Some believe in the occult, but attackers also sometimes have other motives including usurping their rights over land and property.
New York Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Chinese soccer club fined for placing ‘feudal superstitious items' in away locker room
A Chinese soccer club has been fined by the Chinese Professional Football League (CFL) for placing 'feudal superstitious items' in the away team's dressing room. Changchun Xidu FC, who play in China League Two — the nation's third division — have been fined 30,000 yuan (£3,070, $4,100) for the incident against Shanxi Chongde Ronghai on June 28. A statement from the CFL said the club had 'placed a number of feudal superstitious items in the away team's dressing room' before the match, and in accordance with the CFL's Discipline and Ethics Code, they had breached Article 115 and Article 116. A report in the Shanghai-based City News Service claims how photos that had been widely shared online showed yellow paper charms inscribed with messages such as: 'By decree, Shanxi Chongde Ronghai must be defeated.' 'The CFL will resolutely and seriously deal with all kinds of violations of regulations and disciplines in accordance with the provisions of the Discipline and Ethics Code,' the CFL statement added. 'This is in place to purify the atmosphere of the stadium, and for all participants to jointly maintain the order of the game and hard-won environment.' Changchun Xidu, second in the China League Two standings, won the match 2-0. (Catherine Ivill – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
Malay Mail
7 days ago
- Malay Mail
Visitors warned against superstitious acts at UPSI student's grave in Terengganu, told to respect family and Islam
JERTIH, July 6 — Visitors to the family home and grave of the late Nurly Sahirah Azman, one of the Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) students who died in a tragic accident along the East-West Highway (JRTB) in Gerik, Perak, last month, have been reminded to observe proper conduct and avoid actions contrary to Islamic teachings. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs), Datuk Dr Mohd Na'im Mokhtar, said that while he, too, was moved by the various stories surrounding the 23-year-old student, including reports that she passed away while clutching the Quran, the public must remain mindful of the family's feelings and refrain from straying into superstitious practices. 'Of course, Nurly Sahirah's parents are very hopeful about this. They do not want the kindness shown by their late daughter to cause our society to engage in superstitious things. 'I urged the public to behave respectfully, act in accordance with religious teachings and pray for the deceased. Superstition is not the way to honour the memory of the departed,' he told reporters after visiting Nurly Sahirah's family at Kampung Gong Pasir in Kerandang near here yesterday. Mohd Na'im also advised the public to seek guidance from those with religious authority, such as state muftis, before undertaking any actions related to such matters. Following reports of superstitious and shirk-related activities at the grave of the late Nurly in Kampung Gong Pasir Muslim Cemetery, Kerandang, the family installed a rope barrier to prevent further misuse. The action was taken after some individuals were observed taking soil from the grave and applying it to their faces, which is considered an act of superstition and disrespect. The family also decided not to receive guests from last Wednesday (July 2) to give them space, especially for Nurly's parents, Azman Mohamad, 63, and Kamariah Abdul Latif, 60, to rest. Meanwhile, Kamariah, when met by reporters today, urged members of the public who wish to visit their home to view the handwritten Quran manuscript by her late daughter, once the visiting session reopens tomorrow, to observe the designated visiting hours, which are from 9 am to 6 pm. 'We are truly grateful and welcome the presence of visitors. To us, they are not coming by our invitation, but by the will and invitation of Allah,' she said. — Bernama
