Elderly woman accused of slashing tongue of man

Dumka, Sep 3 (PTI) An elderly woman, along with six other people, are alleged to have cut the tongue of a man in Jharkhand's Dumka district, police said on Wednesday.

Shikaripara police station officer-in-charge, Amit Lakra, told PTI that they received a written complaint on Wednesday morning about a 38-year-old Laltu Sheikh, a native of Lata Kandar village, alleging that an elderly woman, along with six other people, had cut his tongue on Tuesday night.

"We have detained the accused woman Kalavati Murmu who is alleged by locals of selling Hadia (a traditional drink made from fermented rice popular among tribals in Jharkhand) and country made liquor at her house, along with another woman Minu Mohali who stays near her house for interrogation on the basis of complaint lodged by Laltu Sheikh's wife Jelun Bibi," said Lakra.

The police officer further said that Laltu Sheikh had been admitted by relatives to a private hospital in Rampurhat in Birbhum district of West Bengal, which is adjacent to Dumka.

Police said Jelun Bibi, in her complaint, had stated that her husband had gone for some work on Tuesday evening but did not return till late evening.

"In her complaint, she said that her husband returned bleeding profusely from the mouth at around 10.30 pm on Tuesday. But could not speak and gestured that his tongue had been slashed by Kalavati and others. She, along with other family members, went to Kalavati's house early on Wednesday and found blood outside her house," said the officer.

The villagers also complained that Kalavati used to sell hadia and country-made liquors at her house and had a habit of quarrelling, he said.

The villagers tied Kalavati Murmu, who is over 60 years old, to a tree and informed the police.

"We untied the woman and brought her to the police station along with the other accused woman for interrogation. The accused woman is claiming herself innocent. However, villagers said that Laltu Sheikh was an alcoholic and there might have been some altercation during drinking liquor at Kalavati's house, which led to the incident," he said.

Superintendent of Police, Dumka, Pitambar Singh Kherwar, told PTI that they received a written complaint and a team will be going to the hospital in Rampurhat in Bengal to record statements of the victim before initiating action against the accused woman. PTI CORR ANB RG