BALURGHAT: In a shocking incident, a man and his mother-in-law have been arrested for allegedly beating a 69-year-old woman to death after branding her a witch responsible for a family member’s illness.
The gruesome attack occurred late Sunday night in Mamudpur village under Ramkrishnapur Gram Panchayat, Kumarganj block, plunging the area into mourning. The victim, Lakshmi Soren, was declared dead on arrival at Kumarganj Rural Hospital after locals alerted police. Her body was taken by the Kumarganj police on Monday and sent for post-mortem at Balurghat District Hospital.
The accused, Sanjay Tudu, is the grandson of the victim. Sanjay and his mother-in-law, Mitun Soren, were produced in a Balurghat court the same day.
According to police, tension stemmed from the prolonged illness of Sanjay’s 16-year-old sister, Sonumi Tudu. The family had long suspected Lakshmi, who was frail due to age, of witchcraft. Last Saturday, a village arbitration meeting was held, where an Ojha (traditional healer) was brought in at a cost of around Rs 7,000, paid by Lakshmi’s son Manglu Tudu.
The situation briefly calmed, but Sonumi fell ill again on Sunday night. In a delusional state, Sonumi claimed her grandmother was trying to strangle her. Enraged, Sanjay allegedly attacked Lakshmi with bricks, stones and a sickle.
When Manglu rushed to protect his mother, he too was assaulted. Manglu informed a local panchayat member, who arrived with villagers to find Lakshmi in a pool of blood. Police rushed her to a hospital, where doctors pronounced her dead. Manglu Tudu filed a written complaint at the Kumarganj Police Station that night, demanding exemplary punishment for the accused.
Lakshmi’s family alleges involvement of other relatives and villagers, with police probing these claims. Superintendent of Police Chinmay Mittal said: “Two persons have been arrested on murder charges. The entire incident is under thorough investigation.”