'Black magic used to sabotage music system': Bihar mob kills man, tries to burn wife alive

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A 55-year-old man was killed and his wife severely injured by a mob in Bihar’s Nawada district after they were accused of using witchcraft to cause a music system to malfunction at a private event. The police have arrested 17 individuals in connection with the brutal attack, which involved torture and public humiliation.

The incident occurred in the village of Panchugarh Musahari. According to a report by The Indian Express, the trigger was a technical fault in a sound system during a celebration at the home of one of the accused, Mohan Manjhi. The police superintendent of Nawada, Abhinav Dhiman, stated that the suspect accused the victims, Gaya Manjhi and his wife Samudri, of employing black magic to disrupt the event.

What followed was a horrific act of mob violence. As per The Indian Express, a crowd descended upon the couple’s home on Tuesday. They were allegedly dragged out, assaulted and subjected to torture. The assailants forcibly shaved the couple’s heads, smeared them with limestone paste and paraded them around the village with a garland of footwear around their necks.

Police received the initial call about the assault at 8 am on Wednesday. Upon arriving at the scene, officers found Gaya Manjhi dead and his wife, Samudri, injured. She was rushed to the local district hospital, where her condition is now reported to be stable and out of danger. The victim’s body has been sent for a post-mortem examination.

Disturbingly, police sources cited by The Indian Express said that the violence did not end there. On Wednesday morning, authorities received another call alerting them that the mob was taking Gaya Manjhi’s body to the cremation ground. The sources further alleged that the crowd had planned to burn the wounded widow alive, a move that was thwarted by police intervention.

Superintendent Dhiman confirmed that swift action was taken following a statement from the surviving victim, Samudri. Seventeen people – nine women and seven men – were arrested. Among them was Mohan Manjhi. Their arrests were based on the statements provided by the victim’s wife. Further investigations are underway. The police also noted that the couple had faced prior harassment over similar allegations of witchcraft.