NEW DELHI, 2 January 2006 — A woman and her five children were burned alive in Bihar in a dispute over cattle, officials said yesterday. Eyewitnesses said unidentified men locked farmer V. Mahto, his wife and five children in their house and later set it ablaze. The incident took place in Raghopur located near state capital Patna in the early hours of yesterday. Mahto who sustained serious burn injuries was admitted to a hospital. Police said Mahto, belonging to a backward caste, had refused to withdraw a case against Jagat Rai, who belongs to another caste. Mahto had lodged a case of theft of his buffalo, naming Rai as an accused in September 2005. Bihar Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar who visited the scene of the crime described it as a “shameful act.” “To burn people alive is condemnable in the strongest terms. People who committed the crime are enemies of humanity,” Kumar said, promising strict action against the guilty.
