Purnia (Bihar) [India], July 9 : Purnia MP Pappu Yadav on Tuesday met the kin of the five members of a family who were allegedly burnt alive in Ranipatra village of Bihar's Purnia over accusation of witchcraft. He condemned the incident, calling it a "black spot for the country."
Speaking to ANI, Yadav said, "This is a black spot for the country... Our Chief Minister doesn't take a step without offering prayers, and our MPs and MLAs are busy performing 'Yagya' all day... Yet, they will not name the one 'Baba' who is doing black magic..."
Yadav also questioned the governance in Bihar, alleging a total collapse due to political negligence. "35,000 people died in a year, genocide, deaths in Nalanda, Patna... Who is doing this? What are we doing... Why are most of the MPs and MLAs doing contract work?... Bihar is going towards complete collapse..." he added.
He further stressed that such a heinous crime could not have been committed by the poor villagers alone, blaming the influence of local exorcists and deep-rooted superstition.
"I have been saying from the beginning that poor people cannot execute something like this... There was an exorcist outside, and they all went to him. That exorcist said that there is a witch in your village who has done something to your child, and due to this superstition, such a big incident happened... The tribal community doesn't engage in such practices; this major incident occurred solely due to superstition. We would request that all such superstitious things be eradicated from society..." he said.
Meanwhile, Bihar Minister Leshi Singh also reacted to the incident, saying, "...The incident that occurred in Purnea took place in the village itself due to superstition. The police are taking action and have arrested three people. The police administration is continuously monitoring the situation."
Three main accused, including a minor, have been arrested in connection with the incident, which occurred on July 6 in Titgaon village of Bihar's Purnia district, where five members of a family were allegedly burnt alive in a suspected case of witchcraft-related violence.