Couple ordered to leave Bihar village for 'witchcraft'

A village council in Bihar's Nawada district has ordered a couple to leave the village after residents alleged the woman practised witchcraft and blamed her for the death of two youths. However, local authorities said they had no information about the incident.

A village council in Bihar's Nawada district has ordered a couple to leave the village after residents alleged the woman practised witchcraft and blamed her for the death of two youths. However, local authorities said they had no information about the incident.

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Mohd Jalil and his family, residents of Garh-Dibour village under Chitarkoli panchayat in Rajauli block of Nawada district, about 150 km from Patna, were ordered by the village panchayat to leave immediately on Friday, a villager said on the condition of anonymity.

According to him, the village panchayat took the decision after some villagers alleged Jalil's wife was a practitioner of witchcraft and responsible for death of two youths of the village.

"In early May, Jalil was beaten by some villagers for his wife's alleged witchcraft," he said, adding Jalil approached the police, but they took no notice of his complaint.

Though some villagers disagreed with the orders of the village panchayat, they did not raise their voice against the decision, the villager added.

However, local police officials as well as the officials in the block development office said that they have no information about any such incident.