Neighbours lynch two women over suspicion of practising witchcraft in West Bengal; 15 arrested
Suri (WB), Sep 14: Two middle-aged women were beaten to death by neighbours on suspicion of practising witchcraft in West Bengal's Birbhum district, police said on Saturday.
Bodies of the two tribal women were found in an irrigation canal near Harisarah village under Mayureswar police station.
Police arrested 15 people in connection with the incident that took place on Friday night.
The family members of the deceased, Lodgi Kisku and Dolly Soren, alleged that they were called out of their homes at night by a group of people who beat them with sticks after tying them with ropes.
Rani Kisku, a daughter of Lodki Kisku, said, "My cousin and other villagers dragged my mother out of home. My two brothers were away, we couldn’t protect her."
A senior police officer said that prima facie, suspicion of practising witchcraft is the motive behind the killing "but we don’t rule out other possibilities".
A large police force arrived in the village and arrested 15 people for their alleged involvement in the incident.
The bodies were sent for post-mortem examination.
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CM Stalin will decide, Udhayanidhi says on his elevation in Cabinet
Chennai (PTI): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin will take a decision on elevating him as deputy CM, ruling DMK's youth wing secretary and Sports Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin said here on Wednesday.
When reporters sought his reaction to an excitement among party cadres that his elevation in the cabinet was imminent, he said, "chief minister will take a decision."
When journalists told the minister that party workers had gathered at party headquarters, "Anna Arivalayam," with firecrackers to celebrate, he said he could not visit the head office on Wednesday as he had gone to Anna Centenary Library.
Furthermore, he said cadres and party's high-level panel member S S Palanimanickam (at the party's 75th founding anniversary on Tuesday) have expressed their wish that he be designated deputy chief minister. All ministers will always assist the chief minister and "this is (making him deputy cm), out-and-out, the decision of the chief minister, his prerogative."
To another question related to him becoming the deputy cm, he asserted, "we will talk about that provided there is an announcement."
Days ago, CM Stalin hinted at a cabinet reshuffle and had said that 'what is expected will happen.' For long, there has been a speculation that Udhayanidhi, Stalin's son, would soon be made deputy cm by the ruling party.
On actor Vijay, who has recently formed a political party (Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam) paying floral tributes, for the first time, to reformist leader Periyar EV Ramasamy on his birth anniversary on Tuesday, Udhayanidhi said no one could do politics in the state without following the iconic leader's principles.
