Seven members of two Dalit families were thrashed by local residents on suspicion of practising “black magic” in a village in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra, leaving them seriously injured, police said on Monday.
The incident took place in village Wani under Jiwti tehsil over the weekend and 13 persons have been arrested so far, they added.
Atul Kulkarni, additional SP of Chandrapur, said on Saturday night, seven members of two families were summoned to the village square by local residents who accused them of practising “black magic and possessing spirits”. As they reached the village chowk, people started throwing mud on them. Later, the crowd tied three of them to wooden poles and thrashed them with sticks and also punched them, he said.
On getting information, police reached the village and moved the victims, who had sustained serious injures, to hospital for treatment, he added.
Santosh Ambike, assistant police inspector of Jivta, said: “More arrests are likely as investigation is in the preliminary stage.