The day after Muharram, 5 people were burnt alive in Purnia, Bihar, panic!

In the quiet village of Uraav, nestled within Purnia’s Rajiganj Panchayat, the acrid smell of charred flesh still lingers—a grotesque testament to India’s unresolved war against primordial fears. Five members of the Babulal family—names yet to be officially released—were reduced to ash on July 8, 2025, accused of wielding witchcraft through “Tantra Mantra.” This medieval atrocity, executed with systematic brutality (beaten, half-killed, then burned), has ripped open festering wounds in Bihar’s socio-political fabric. As forensic teams sift through bone fragments and politicians trade barbs, the incident forces a reckoning: How does a nation racing toward a $5 trillion economy still harbor Stone Age justice?

The Anatomy of a Lynching: From Suspicion to Inferno

Eyewitness accounts pieced together from fleeing neighbors paint a chilling timeline:

1. The Accusation
For weeks, whispers haunted the Babulal household. A child’s fever, a failed monsoon crop, and a neighbor’s nightmare became “proof” of dark magic. Village witch doctor Ramdev Mahato—now absconding—allegedly identified the family as practitioners during a midnight ritual.

2. The Pogrom
At dawn, 150 villagers armed with sticks and kerosene descended. Men were dragged into the courtyard, women stripped of dignity before the beating began. “They kept screaming ‘Dayan!’ (witch),” recounts a teen hiding in nearby sugarcane fields. “The children… they threw the children into the fire first.”

3. Administrative Apathy
Despite Rajiganj police station being 4 km away, help arrived two hours post-incident. By then, only smoldering torsos remained. Initial FIR lists 38 accused—all vanished—while SP Amarendra Singh’s press conference focused on “maintaining communal harmony.”

Bihar’s Witch-Hunting Epidemic: Numbers That Haunt

The National Crime Records Bureau’s 2024 report reveals Bihar as India’s witch-hunting capital:

743 Cases (2021-2024) – 68% against Dalit/Adivasi women
22% Conviction Rate – lowest among states with anti-witch-hunting laws
93% linked to land grabs under occult pretexts

Anthropologist Dr. Meera Chaudhary explains: “In Bihar’s tribal belts, witch branding isn’t just superstition—it’s a weapon. Label a widow a ‘dayan,’ seize her property, eliminate rivals. It’s feudalism wearing a occult mask.”

Political Theater: Tejashwi’s Fury vs Nitish’s Silence

Opposition leader Tejashwi Yadav’s X (formerly Twitter) thread—viewed 2.1 million times in 6 hours—captures the political storm:

“5 burnt alive in Purnia. 3 massacred in Siwan. 3 in Buxar. Bihar bleeds while ‘Yuvraj’ (Crown Prince) Nitish vacations. DGP clueless, SPs transferred like playing cards. Jungle Raj 2.0 has a name: NDA+JD(U).”

The barbed reference to 1990s “Jungle Raj” under Lalu Prasad cleverly targets Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s eroded law-and-order credentials. Yet critics note Tejashwi’s own family legacy—43% rise in abduction cases during RJD’s 2022-23 tenure.

The Witchcraft Industrial Complex

Behind every lynching lies a lucrative ecosystem:

Occult Economy: ₹8,200 crore annual turnover in Bihar (ASER 2023)

Tantriks charge ₹5,000-₹50,000 per “witch identification”
Animal sacrifices: ₹20,000/month for goat suppliers

Land Mafia Nexus: 80% of 2024’s 192 witch-hunt cases involved disputed properties per Patna High Court data
Political Patronage: 17 MLAs (across parties) allegedly sponsor village shamans for vote mobilization

“It’s organized crime with holy ash,” says IPS officer-turned-whistleblower Amit Lodha. “Until we break the money chain, no law will work.”

Legal Loopholes: Why Bihar’s Prevention of Witch-Hunting Act Fails

Enacted in 1999 and amended in 2022, the law remains toothless:

    Definitional Vagueness

    No clear criteria for “witch” – left to police discretion
    Tantriks exempt if practicing “traditional customs”

    Witness Intimidation

    73% of 2024 cases saw complainants retract statements
    “Panchayats threaten: ‘Testify, and you’re next witch,’” says Purnia-based lawyer Smriti Mishra

    Rehabilitation Vacuum

    Zero government shelters for survivors
    ₹3 lakh compensation rarely reaches families

Global Precedents: Lessons from Africa to Amazon

While unique in scale, Bihar’s crisis mirrors global patterns:

Ghana: 6 witch camps host 1,200+ survivors; state collaborates with NGOs for reintegration
Papua New Guinea: 2013 Sorcery Act repealed after 392 lynching deaths; replaced with community courts
Peru: AI-powered radio dramas in Quechua reduced Amazonian witch killings by 41% (2022 study)

“Bihar needs hybrid solutions,” urges UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women Reem Alsalem. “Technology plus traditional justice systems.”

The Election Calculus: Crime as Political Currency

With Bihar polls slated for October 2025, parties are recalculating strategies:

NDA’s Dilemma: Nitish Kumar’s 17% approval on law/order (Lokniti-CSDS July 2025) threatens alliance cohesion
RJD’s Gambit: Tejashwi positions as “Last Hope” – but must explain 2022 Bhagalpur shelter home scandal
Rising Alternatives: Chandrashekhar’s Azad Samaj Party gains traction in Dalit belts with “Scientific India” rallies

Political analyst Yogendra Yadav observes: “Witch hunts have become metaphor for governance failure. Whoever frames the narrative best—as savior or slayer—wins.”

A Path Forward: Seven-Point Blueprint

To extinguish this medieval practice, Bihar requires:

    Special Courts

    10 fast-track tribunals with video testimony facilities

    Economic Disincentives

    200% penalty on properties seized via witch accusations

    Tech Intervention

    Blockchain land records to prevent occult land grabs
    “e-Tantrik” app for reporting suspicious practitioners

    Education Overhaul

    NCERT curriculum chapters debunking witchcraft myths
    VR labs simulating scientific cause-effect relationships

    Corporate Partnerships

    CSR funds for survivor skill centers (target: 50 by 2027)

    Artistic Counter-Narratives

    Folklore festivals recasting witches as herbal healers

    International Collaboration

    MoU with Ghana’s Witch Hunt Victims Empowerment Program

Epilogue: The Ghosts of Uraav

As dusk falls on Uraav, the Babulal home’s ruins stand guarded—not by police, but by activist Taramani Soren. Her group, Adivasi Mahila Manch, has tied black flags to 63 neighboring homes. “Each flag marks a family that still believes in witches,” she says. “The real exorcism must happen here.”

In Delhi, Parliament debates another amendment to the Witch-Hunting Act. In Patna, Nitish Kumar chairs a high-level meeting. But in Bihar’s heartland, where fear outpaces reason, progress is measured differently. For now, the smoke from Uraav’s pyre carries a warning: India’s tryst with destiny remains incomplete until its darkest villages see.

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