Banshihari: Two people have been arrested in Banshihari, in West Bengal's Dakshin Dinajpur district, for the killing of a man on the suspicion of witchcraft. The incident occurred on Wednesday night when Laxmiram Hembram (48), a resident of the area, commented on his neighbor's long-term illness. As per information, Hembram in an inebriated condition told his neighbor that he will not live long, which was overheard by the neighbor's son.
The son led a mob of five to six people and arrived at Hembram's house on Thursday morning, initially beating him up and later hitting him hard with an axe and killing him. The two arrested in the incident are Milan Baske and Ajay Mardi. Speaking to the media, villagers noted that the crime had been committed based on superstition.
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Fagu Baske, the ailing man in the scenario, is the father of Milan Baske, one among the accused who was arrested by Banshihari Police shortly after the incident on Thursday. Ajay Mardi, another accused, was also arrested alongside Baske.
"He returned last night in an intoxicated state and said the patient next door won't survive. Angered by this, the son of the ailing person assaulted him and killed him. We never imagined they would kill him as we thought they would just reprimand him," Hembram's grandaughter said.
