Deep in Jharkhand’s Palamu countryside, tragedy struck Kusri village when blind faith claimed three lives in a chilling act of vigilante justice. The Panki police station now investigates what locals call a textbook case of superstition gone lethal.
It all traced back to Mahesi Bhuiyan’s death on Saturday night. Ill for weeks, his passing sparked outrage among sons Rabindra and Promod. They accused Vijay Bhuiyan, a neighbor, of deploying witchcraft to seal the old man’s fate.
In the dead of night, the brothers descended on Vijay’s home with lethal intent. The toll: Vijay (approx. 45), his wife, and son murdered brutally. Injured were a young girl and Neetu Devi, now under critical care.
The aftermath unfolded rapidly. Police swarmed the site, documented the carnage, and dispatched bodies for forensic analysis. Fugitives Rabindra and Promod were captured soon after, their flight cut short by relentless pursuit.
Interviews reveal a community torn. ‘We’ve lost faith in reason,’ lamented one resident. Tribal customs mingle with persistent myths, creating fertile ground for such violence.
Beyond arrests, solutions beckon. Experts advocate mandatory school programs debunking sorcery, mobile legal aid, and village panchayats empowered against mob justice.
This Palamu bloodbath echoes similar horrors across India – from Assam to Odisha. Each underscores urgency: modern laws must penetrate remote hamlets. As justice unfolds, Kusri stands as a somber testament to faith’s dark flip side, imploring a shift from fear to enlightenment.