Grandmother of murder accused hangs self

Statesman News Service

MALDA, March 4: Malati Mandal (55), grandmother of murder accused Pratap Mandal (14), hanged herself to death at her home in English Bazaar on Friday night, police said today. Pratap, it may be recalled was arrested recently on charges of murdering one Prakash Mandal (10). Though the cause of suicide is yet to be ascertained, police said the woman probably took the step after hundreds of villagers raided her home on Friday night and forced her to give them information regarding the murder. "Villagers of Manikpur near Amriti tried to press the family members of Pratap including his grandmother, to know the motive behind the murder," Malda SP Mr Dilip Kumar Modal said today.It was learnt that the residents of Manikpur village recently held a meeting on the boy's murder and decided to submit a memorandum to the district magistrate, demanding a CBI inquiry into the incident. The villagers collected signatures of 150 people, including the grandmother of the accused, on Friday. After that, the 55-year-old woman committed suicide, police said. "The woman put her thumb impression on the mass petition which was supposed to be submitted to the DM on Monday", said Mr P Pradhan, I-C. English Bazaar police station. Police had to conduct an inquiry on Saturday after it was alleged that the villagers held a kangaroo court to discuss the issue and forced the grandmother of the accused to surrender her land and properties, as compensation to the family members of Prakash.However, the police, after conducting the inquiry, said no kangaroo court was held in the village.The allegation that the villagers forced the woman to surrender her land and properties was wrong,” the I-C, Mr Pradhan, said.It may be recalled that the 10-year-old Prakash went missing in the last week of February.Later, the police found his decomposed body, partly eaten by animals, at a sugar cane field in English Bazaar. Finally, the police arrested Pratap and forwarded him to Juvenile Home in Cooch Behar following a court order. Pratap has been facing the charges of kidnapping and killing Prakash, police, said. The police, however, have not yet been able to know the motive behind the murder. If the sources are to be believed, the police have also not been able so far to collect strong evidences against Pratap.