Family of 5 murdered on suspicion of black magic, Jharkhand HC seeks detailed report

Five members of a family were murdered in Jharkhand's Gumla over suspicion of black magic. Villagers blamed the family for the recent deaths of a few locals.

Jharkhand High Court on Thursday heard a PIL over the Gumla murders where five members of a family were murdered with sharp-edged traditional weapons earlier this year. A bench of the HC has sought the state government's response on measures taken to counter instances of violence triggered by superstition. The incident took place on February 24 in Buruhatu Aamtoli under the limits of the Kamdara police station in Jharkhand's Gumla district. Initial reports had suggested that five members of a family were killed on suspicion of practicing black magic and witchcraft. The five victims were lynched to death by a mob of angry villagers who blamed them for the deaths of locals owing to poor health. Police later identified the victims as Nikodin Topno (60), Josephina Topno (55), their son Vincent Topno (35), Shivvanti Topno (30) and Bhalwin Topno (5).