In a recent case of violence against women, two women in Saptari district were thrashed by their neighbours on the charge of practising witchcraft. Maya Devi Mandal (60) and her 26-year-old daughter-in-law Rita Devi were beaten black and blue by the neighbours in Parsahi, Madhepura VDC-6 of the district on Sunday. Both women sustained serious injuries in the attack and are undergoing treatment at the Rajbiraj-based Gajendra Narayan Singh Sagarmatha Zonal Hospital. While Maya Devi has wounds on her chest and legs, Rita Devi has injuries on her head. Both have bruises on their backs. “We were at home when our distant relative and neighbour Ram Prasad Mandal, his wife Chhuthari Devi and some other people came to attack us,” the elderly victim said from the hospital bed, “They accused us of killing their granddaughter by casting the evil spells. Both of them had fallen unconscious before the attackers escaped the scene, she added. A two-year-old daughter of one of the alleged attackers, Shiva Mandal, had drowned in a local pond around a month ago. The girl’s family then had called a shaman after the incident, who allegedly claimed that the two women cast evil spirits on the child. Maya Devi’s husband Abadh Bihari said they would attack the women earlier also. Meanwhile, Bihari filed an FIR at the District Police Office (DPO) demanding actions against the culprits. DSP Narayan Prasad Chimariya at the DPO said police have started an investigation into the case.