Seven get death for lynching 'witches' in Bengal

Kolkata, May 16: A court in West Bengal’s West Midpore on Monday sentenced, to death, seven people including a woman for the 2012 lynching of three women branded as “witches”. Of the seven other convicts, six were sentenced to life imprisonment and the remaining one - a woman - got nine years rigorous imprisonment.

The death sentence is subject to confirmation by the Calcutta High Court. The incident took place in October 2012 in Daspur area when Phulmani Singh (70), her daughter Sambari (40) and daughter-in-law also med Sambari (40) were lynched by villagers and buried in a river bed after a kangaroo court pronounced them as witches. Following the discovery of the dead bodies, 14 people including two women were arrested and charged with killing the trio. (IANS)