Villagers in tribal central India have allegedly beaten 50 women with sticks and cut off their hair after accusing them of witchcraft.
A spiritual man told the villagers the assaults would protect them from evil spirits, police said.
The alleged attacks happened at a forest in a poor district of Chhattisgarh state, 250 miles from the capital Raipur.
"Police have begun a probe and interrogated dozens of villagers who hosted a nine-day purification ceremony," Radheshyam Nayak, a senior state police officer said.
The state passed a Witchcraft (Prevention) Act in 2005 to counter a rise in witch hunts.
Chhattisgarh's Chief Minister Raman Singh called the latest assault "inhuman, unfortunate and shameful". He has asked the state's police chief to investigate the case.
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