Couple killed for witchcraft in Bihar

Patna: An elderly couple has been killed by their neighbours for allegedly practicing witchcraft in a Bihar village.

The accused are absconding after the incident, police said today.

Janki Manjhi and his wife Lakshminia Devi had their throats slit late on Friday in Pathra village of Gaya district, about 100 km from here, police station officer in-charge Dhananjay Kumar said.

"The couple were killed in suspicion of practicing witchcraft," Dhananjay said.

A case has been lodged against their neighbour Sohrai Manjhi and two others in this connection.

The practice of branding women as witches and torturing them continues unabated in the remote and rural areas of Bihar.

Two years ago, the Bihar Human Rights Commission had directed the state to expedite probe and trials in cases related to offences under the Prevention of Witch Hunting Act, 1999.