Mother and infant burnt to death in Indian state over witchcraft allegations

Four people have been arrested in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand for allegedly burning to death a woman and her 10-month-old son on suspicion of practising witchcraft earlier this week.

The woman's husband, who was also attacked, suffered severe burns and is in hospital.

Police say they are searching for more people who may be involved. The accused are in custody and haven't commented publicly yet.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau, more than 2,500 people, mostly women, were killed in India on suspicion of witchcraft between 2000 and 2016.

Tuesday's murder of Jyoti Sinku and her son occurred months after five members of a family in neighbouring Bihar state were brutally killed and allegedly burned alive on accusations of practising witchcraft.

Such cases are often reported from areas inhabited by disadvantaged tribal communities, where superstition is rife and a non-existent public health system leads to dependence on quacks for medical advice.

The murders in Jharkhand occurred in the Kudsai hamlet, a remote tribal settlement of around 50 mud houses located 250km (155.3 miles) from the state capital, Ranchi.

The violence appears to have been triggered by recent incidents in the village, including rumours of sudden cattle deaths and the illness and death of a local man named Pustun Birua.

His wife Jano Birua says she consulted an informal healthcare provider - common in villages where no doctors are available - when he began suffering from anxiety and fainting spells. He told her that her husband was not suffering from any physical illness.

Asked why she did not take him to a hospital, she said: "We are poor people, so it wasn't possible to take him that far."

Meanwhile, rumours spread that Jyoti Sinku was practising witchcraft and was responsible for the man's illness.

Pustun Birua died on Tuesday evening. That night, according to Jyoti's husband Kolhan Sinku who is in hospital, a mob of about a dozen people, including five women, stormed their home and set fire to his wife and child.

Recalling the horror from his hospital bed, he said: "I pleaded with folded hands to have the matter resolved in the village council but the attackers didn't listen to me."

Based on the testimonies of Kolhan Sinku and another family member, the district police have registered a complaint of murder and criminal conspiracy.

Police say four men have been arrested and a special police team has been set up to track down other members of the mob.

They added that they would organise programmes in rural areas to raise awareness against superstitions.