Five women accused of witchcraft beaten to death in India

Five women accused of practising witchcraft have been beaten to death in a village in India's eastern state of Jharkhand.

Police official Arun Kumar Singh said residents of Kinjia village dragged the women out of their homes early on Saturday and beat them with sticks and iron rods.

Mr Singh said the attackers blamed the women for several incidents and misfortunes suffered by villagers, including the death of an infant in Kinjia earlier in the week.

Superstitious beliefs persist in many parts of Jharkhand and have been behind similar attacks on women in the state.

Kinjia is about 25 miles west of the state capital, Ranchi.

Press Association