Five women are ‘beaten to death’ in Indian village after being accused of ‘witchcraft’

Five woman have reportedly been brutally beaten to death by villagers who accused them of witchcraft in India.
The Kinjia village in the Jharkhand state had been experiencing several misfortunes recently and had blamed this on the five women.

Dozens of villagers allegedly dragged the women from their homes and beat them with sticks and iron rods, and even assaulted them with knives.
Blood stains could be seen on the ground throughout the village following the incident.

Police arrived shortly after the attack and reportedly arrested up to 50 villagers.
A police spokesperson told AFP: ‘It looks like the village held a grudge against these women for a very long time, holding them responsible for… various misfortunes.’
The women were blamed for failing crops, bringing illness to the village and even for the recent death of a child through their alleged ‘witchcraft’.
A contingent of police officers have been left in the village to prevent any further outbreaks of violence.