Woman shot dead by grandson on suspicion of witchcraft

A 60-year-old woman was shot dead allegedly by her grandson in a remote tribal hamlet in the state's Dhalai district on the suspicion that she practiced witchcraft, police said today.
Managal Debbarma (22), a grandson of the deceased, shot her dead from point blank range by a country made gun last night at Shyambaicherra, about 20 kms from Kamalpur, a subdivisional town, Investigating Officer Subhrangshu Bhattacharya said.
Mangal's 14-year-old brother had taken ill for last six months and a tribal quack suggested the patient would not be cured as a lady was exercising witchcraft to kill him, the official said.

Police said Mangal, at the instruction of his father Biswa Kumar Debbarma, then killed the woman following which he was arrested.
The dead body has been sent for postmortem and further probe in the case is underway, they added.
Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Member of Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), Ranjit Debbarma while condemning the incident said that this was the fallout of superstition prevailing in tribal communities and added due to continuous campaign by the Tripura Ganamukti Parishad, the tribal wing of ruling CPI-M, the menace had come down drastically.