Bihar Woman Blamed For Child's 'Brain' Illness, Beaten To Death By Neighbours

Blind belief, rumours and anger once again turned deadly in Bihar, where a 35-year-old woman was beaten to death after being accused of witchcraft, leaving two other women seriously injured.

The brutal incident took place in state's Nawada district and has once again highlighted how superstition continues to claim innocent lives in the state.

The victim has been identified as Kiran Devi. According to her family members, the attack was triggered by suspicion over a child's illness. Members of a neighbouring family allegedly blamed Kiran Devi for the child falling sick and accused her of practising witchcraft.

Family members alleged that Mukesh Chaudhary, Mahendra Chaudhary, Natru Chaudhary and Shobha Devi, all relatives from the neighbouring family, attacked Kiran Devi with bricks, stones and iron rods, beating her mercilessly. During the attack, Kiran Devi's younger co-sister-in-law Lalita Devi and another elder co-sister-in-law were also injured.

All the injured women were rushed to the sub-divisional hospital. The doctor on duty provided first aid but referred them to the district hospital after observing heavy blood loss. Kiran Devi, however, died on the way.

Kiran Devi is survived by two sons and two daughters. 

The victim's sister-in-law Rekha Devi said that the child of Mukesh Chaudhary had fallen ill and was taken to a doctor, who reportedly diagnosed a brain-related problem. Despite this, neighbours continued to blame Kiran Devi, calling her a witch and accusing her of evil practices, which finally led to the attack.

Nawada's Rajauli station house officer Ranjit Kumar said a dispute was going on between two related families in the area, which led to the clash. He said four to five people from both sides were injured. Three people have been taken into custody for questioning. A forensic team has collected evidence and the body will be handed over to the family after post-mortem.

Such incidents linked to superstition are not new to the district. About one-and-a-half years ago, a woman was burnt alive after being branded a witch in Rajauli. In another incident in August 2025, a couple was attacked in the Hisua police station area in Nawada, in which the husband died and an attempt was made to burn the wife alive.

(With inputs from Ashok Priyadarshi)