Woman accused of witchcraft beaten in India
3/28/2008 - 9:31:58 AMA woman accused of practising witchcraft in eastern India was tied to a tree and beaten by enraged villagers, police said today.
Lalpari Devi was attacked in a village on the outskirts of Patna, the capital of Bihar state, local police official Nishant Tiwary said.
Tiwary said Devi claimed to be a faith healer and was treating a mentally ill woman in the village. When the woman attempted to commit suicide, she was attacked by angry villagers, Tiwary said.
He said Devi was tied to a tree with rope and repeatedly beaten. Her hair was then cut off and she was paraded through the village, Tiwary said.
Ram Ayodhya Rai, the mentally ill woman’s husband, has been arrested and charged with assault, he said, adding that police have started an investigation to find out how many other villagers were involved in the assault.
Devi is being investigated for committing fraud, Tiwary said.
A video of the attack, shown by New Delhi Television, showed one man punching Devi in the face and body and another cutting off her hair. It also showed dozens of villagers watching the attack.
Rural areas in India remain deeply superstitious despite the country’s economic progress in recent years.
Many people believe in black magic and dozens of people are beaten or killed every year for practising witchcraft.