Shivamogga: Woman beaten to death under pretext of 'spirit removal'; Accused arrested
Shivamogga: A 45-year-old woman was beaten to death in the name of exorcism in Hosa Jambraghatta village of Shivamogga district. The accused woman, identified as Asha, has been arrested by Holehonnu police.
The deceased has been identified as Geetamma. According to the complaint, Asha visited Geetamma’s house around 9:30 PM on Sunday and told her son Sanjay that his mother was possessed and needed an exorcism. Trusting Asha’s claims, Sanjay reportedly allowed her to carry out the ritual.
Asha then began beating Geetamma with a stick, claiming the spirit hadn't left her body. She later took Geetamma about 2.5 kilometres away to the Chowdamma temple in Hale Jambraghatta and continued assaulting her until around 2:30 AM.
During the so-called ritual, Asha is said to have performed a puja in front of Geetamma’s house, and then dragged her outside claiming she was possessed. At one point, she hit Geetamma on the head with a large stone and poured cold water on her. Geetamma reportedly collapsed on the spot due to hypothermia and head injuries.
Despite this, Asha declared that the spirit had been removed and sent Geetamma back home. Her condition worsened and she was taken to the Holehonnur community hospital, where doctors declared her dead.
A video of the incident, including the assault and shouting by both women during the so-called exorcism, has gone viral on social media. Following a complaint from Geetamma’s son, police registered a case at the Holehonnur station. Superintendent of Police Mithun Kumar visited the spot, and Asha was taken into custody.
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Bangladesh court sentences Sheikh Hasina to 10 years in jail in corruption cases
Dhaka (PTI): A Bangladesh court on Monday sentenced deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to 10 years in jail in two separate corruption cases related to alleged irregularities in allocations of land in a government housing project.
Dhaka Special Judge’s Court-4 Judge Rabiul Alam handed down the verdicts, sentencing Hasina to a total of 10 years’ imprisonment — five years in each case, state-run BSS news agency reported.
The court sentenced 78-year-old Hasina, her nephew Radwan Mujib Siddiq, and her nieces, Tulip Rizwana Siddiq and Azmina Siddiq, and others in the cases over alleged irregularities in the allocation of plots under the Rajuk New Town Project in Purbachol.
The judgment was pronounced at around 12.30 pm.
Tulip Siddiq was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment — two years in each case — while Radwan Mujib Siddiq and Azmina Siddiq were each sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment in both cases.
Rajuk member Mohammad Khurshid Alam, the only accused to surrender before the court, was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment in each case, totalling two years.
The court also fined all convicted persons Tk1 lakh each and ordered them to serve an additional six months in prison in default of payment.
Hasina has been living in India since she fled Bangladesh on August 5 last year in the face of the massive protests. She was earlier declared a fugitive by the court.
The cases were filed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) over alleged abuse of power in the allocation of two 10-katha plots.
According to the prosecution, the accused manipulated the allocation process and violated existing rules and regulations of the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk).
