Man beaten to death in Odisha for practising sorcery
Malkangiri: A 40-year-old man was allegedly beaten to death on suspicion of practising sorcery in Odisha's Malkangiri district, police said on Saturday.
Two persons were arrested on Saturday in connection with the killing, they said. The incident happened at remote Orelguda village under Kalimela police station limit on Thursday night, officer- in- charge of the police station, Sasadev Behera said.
This was the second such killing in the tribal- dominated district this month, police said. The deceased has been identified as Jaga Kabasi, a resident of Orelguda village. Police said one Deba Banjami of the village was unwell for the last few days. He was admitted to hospital by his family members but he died on Thursday.
The family members of Banjami suspected that he died due to some evil spirit spell cast by Kabasi. They barged into Kabasis house, dragged him outside and thrashed him with wooden stick leading to his death, Behera said.
On the basis of a complaint lodged by the relatives of Kabasi on Friday, police detained Urga Banjami, father of the man who died due to illness, and his son Irma Banjami on Friday, he said. The father-son duo was arrested on Saturday after thorough interrogation and further investigation is in progress, he said.
Earlier, a man was killed in Urmaguda under MV-79 area of the district by villagers on August 5 on suspicion of practising sorcery, police said.
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Anbumani asks PM Modi to ban sale of cigarettes for those born after 2009
Chennai (PTI): PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss on Saturday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take legislative measures to prohibit smoking and the sale of cigarettes to individuals born on or after January 1, 2009, thereby creating a smoke-free generation.
Anbumani, former Union minister for health and family welfare, said, "Once implemented, it (ban on cigarettes) will ensure that future generations are legally prevented from ever accessing tobacco products", he said in a letter to Modi.
"I write to you with a deep sense of urgency and responsibility, drawing your kind attention to a critical public health issue that continues to endanger the lives of millions of Indians, particularly among the younger generation who are affected by cigarette smoking", he claimed.
Stating that India unfortunately bears a disproportionately high burden of tobacco-related morbidity and mortality, he said, adding that, according to global health estimates, nearly 267 million Indians, approximately one in five citizens, use tobacco.
"Each year, tobacco consumption directly accounts for over 1.35 million deaths, while exposure to second-hand smoke contributes to a total of approximately 2.3 million deaths annually", he said, adding, "these figures are alarming and reflect a public health crisis of immense magnitude".
He pointed out that Scientific evidence unequivocally establishes tobacco use as a leading cause of cancer and numerous non-communicable diseases, including cardiovascular ailments, chronic respiratory diseases such as COPD, and multiple forms of malignancies. "In India alone, tobacco is responsible for nearly 40–50 per cent of all cancer cases, with over 4.7 lakh deaths annually attributed to tobacco-induced cancers", he added.
"In this context, I strongly urge the Union government to consider enacting a transformative law similar to that of the United Kingdom, that permanently prohibits the sale and consumption of tobacco products for individuals born on or after a specified year (such as 2009). Such a generational ban would mark a decisive step towards eliminating tobacco use in India over time", he said.
