Dumka Witchcraft Case: An 84-year-old woman was allegedly beaten to death in Jharkhand’s Dumka after some villagers accused her of practising witchcraft. The incident happened in Nemaripathar village under Taljhari police station.
Police have taken quick action in the case. Six women have been arrested and a teenage girl has also been detained. Three male suspects are still missing and police teams are carrying out raids to find them. Jharkhand Police’s official website lists Dumka among the districts where witch-related deaths have been recorded. The state has also had a law against witch-hunting since 2001.
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Police said the reason behind the attack came from a death in the village two days before the murder.
An elderly woman had died after falling ill. Her family allegedly started suspecting Dhengi Hansda, who was 84 years old, and accused her of being a witch. They believed she was responsible for the woman’s illness and death. The suspicion then turned violent. Dhengi was allegedly attacked with sticks and beaten until she died.
The case came to police after Dhengi’s daughter, Surajmuni, submitted a complaint. According to her complaint, she and her mother were together at home when Chitamuni Hansda, Makodi Kisku and several other women reached the house. They allegedly abused Dhengi and called her a witch.
Chitamuni and Makodi then went inside the house. According to the complaint, Chitamuni told Dhengi that she had eaten her mother. The women then grabbed Dhengi by her hair, pulled her outside and dragged her towards their house.
The situation became worse when other villagers joined the attack. According to Surajmuni’s statement, people standing outside had sticks in their hands and were hitting Dhengi while calling her a witch. When Surajmuni tried to stop them, she was also grabbed and held by both hands.
The complaint also names Santosh Hansda, Chandan and Sukhlal. They were reportedly sitting near their doorstep and shouting, “Beat her!”
Dhengi died during the assault. After her death, her daughter was allegedly threatened and told, “If she went to the police, they would kill her too.” Surajmuni later managed to inform the police with help from other villagers.
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Police reached the village after receiving information about the attack. They found that Dhengi had died and that her daughter had suffered injuries. Her statement was recorded and an FIR was registered as Taljhari Police Station Case No. 52/2026 under provisions of the Jharkhand Witchcraft Prohibition Act.
The arrested women have been identified as Makodi Kisku, Rania Hansda, Chitamuni Hansda, Shanti Murmu, Fulmuni Soren and Logai Hansda. Police have also detained a teenage girl in connection with the case.
The sticks allegedly used during the attack have been seized by police. Dumka Jarmundi SDPO Naval Kishore Singh said the six women arrested in the case have been sent to jail. He also said three male accused have escaped and police are conducting raids to arrest them.
Witch-hunting is illegal in Jharkhand. The National Human Rights Commission has also previously described witch-hunting in the state as a serious human rights concern and said those involved must face legal action.
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