Family brutally assaulted over witchcraft allegations in South Dinajpur village

BALURGHAT: In a horrifying case of medieval-style mob justice, four members of a single family were allegedly assaulted and forced to consume human excreta after being branded as witches by villagers in Bhadra Raypara under the Basuria Gram Panchayat in South Dinajpur’s Gangarampur.

The incident, which has sent shockwaves through the region, unfolded after a series of mysterious deaths in the village over the past two months. Local reports claim that 7-8 people, including elderly women, died following sudden fevers, leading to widespread panic triggering superstitious beliefs among the villagers.

Fuelled by fear and suspicion, residents reportedly consulted a local tantrik (occult practitioner), who advised them to perform rituals in the cremation ground. Acting on his advice, villagers performed a puja and later targeted a local family, accusing the woman of practicing black magic responsible for the deaths. Late Thursday night, a mob stormed the family’s home, accused the woman of witchcraft and brutally assaulted all four members of the family. They were allegedly beaten with bricks and forced to eat human waste. The incident came to light when Gangarampur police, led by the officer-in-charge, reached the spot and rescued the injured victims. Three of them are currently undergoing treatment at Gangarampur Super Specialty Hospital. So far, six villagers have been arrested in connection with the incident and produced before Gangarampur Sub-Divisional Court on Friday. One of the victims, a family member, recounted in tears: “My parents kept saying we had done nothing wrong. Yet they made us eat filth and beat us with bricks. We pleaded to be taken anywhere for proof of our innocence, but no one listened.”

Gangarampur Sub-Divisional Police Officer Dipanjan Bhattacharya confirmed the arrests and said the investigation is ongoing. Police have withheld the identities of both the victims and the accused for security reasons.