A 21-year-old man was arrested for allegedly killing his grandmother after branding her a “witch” at Mamudpur village in the Kumarganj block of South Dinajpur district on Sunday night.

Sanjay Tudu, 21, was produced in a court at Balurghat on Monday and was sent to police custody for four days.

The victim, Lakshmi Soren, 69, was rescued by the police and taken to the Kumarganj rural hospital, where doctors declared her dead. Her body was later sent to the district hospital in Balurghat for a post-mortem.

According to the police and family sources, Lakshmi was physically weak because of old age and lived with her son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter, while the accused grandson lived nearby.

Sanjay Tudu’s younger sister, 16-year-old Sonumi, had been suffering from illness for a long time. This made her family blame Lakshmi for the illness, while accusing her of practising “witchcraft.”

On Saturday, a “salishi sabha” was held to address the issue, during which it was decided that Manglu, Lakshmi’s son, would have to pay a compensation of ₹7,000
to Sanjay.

On Sunday night, Sonumi’s condition worsened, which prompted Sanjay, her brother, to attack Lakshmi.

As Manglu tried to intervene, he was also threatened. He informed a panchayat member, and soon, some villagers rushed to the spot and found Lakshmi lying injured on the road.

She was taken to the hospital but could not be saved.

After the incident, her family filed a complaint with the police, and Sanjay was arrested. The victim’s family has alleged that other members of Sanjay’s family and some villagers may also be involved in the incident.

Because of the situation, the police have rescued the minor brother and sister of Sanjay and have handed them over to the district’s child welfare committee.

Manglu, who works in Bangalore and had returned home a month ago, said they tried to dissuade Sanjay. “However, my own nephew killed my mother by branding her a witch,” he said.

The killing has also led to repercussions across the district. Animesh Lahiri, the district secretary of Paschimbanga Vigyan Mancha, said they would intensify campaigns against such superstitions in the district.

“Even in 2026, such incidents are happening. We have been campaigning against such superstitions for years….yet, a section of people cannot get out of these,”
he said.

Chinmay Mittal, the district police chief, confirmed the arrest. “A case has been registered, and the matter is being thoroughly investigated,” he said.