Mar 22, 2006, 10:55
Ottawa - Human rights activists in Canada, including Jews and Arabs, have urged the Canadian authorities to arrest Moshe Yaalon who is widely believed to have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity against Palestinian civilians while serving as chief of staff of the Israeli army between 2002-2005.
Ya’alon was due to arrive in Canada on Wednesday on an invitation by extremist Jewish groups.
According to human rights organizations, Ya’alon ordered Israeli forces to murder in cold blood hundreds of Palestinian children and minors and destroy thousands of homes, in some instances right on top of sleeping men, women and children.
During the Jenin massacre in 2002, the Israeli army, which was receiving instructions directly from Ya’alon, Israeli army bulldozers demolished a home where physically handicapped people were cowering inside.
Similar cases of callous murder also took place in Rafah in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
Ya’alon also approved an air strike on a Gaza apartment building, resulting in the death of 17 people, including 12 children.
Source: Palestine-Info.co.uk
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/am/publish/article_17423.shtml
Saturday, March 25, 2006
Israel to pass new laws against Non-Jews
Mar 24, 2006, 16:49
London - The Israeli government is seeking to rush a new law through parliament before the forthcoming elections on 28 March, which would empower the General Security Service (GSS) to detain anyone classified as a non-resident of Israel without access to legal counsel for up to 50 days after arrest.
According to the London-based Amnesty International, the law would also deny such detainees the right to attend court hearings held to consider the extension of their detention. Amnesty International is concerned that permitting detainees to be cut off from the outside world for this length of time would increase their risk of being tortured or ill-treated.
The new law, entitled the "Criminal Procedure (Enforcement Powers - Special Provisions for Investigating Security Offences of Non-Residents) (Temporary Provision) Law, 5765 – 2005", would be fundamentally discriminatory as it would apply only to non-residents of Israel suspected of "security" offences.
The law would extend the initial period for which security forces could hold detainees incommunicado from a maximum of 48 hours to 96 hours.
It also allows for two additional periods of incommunicado detention, meaning that detainees could be held incommunicado for up to 50 days.
The law currently in force in Israel allows detainees to be held incommunicado for a total maximum period of 30 days.
The new law would also extend the time during which a detainee being interrogated by the security forces may be denied access to a lawyer from 21 days to 50 days.
The law would deny detainees the right to be present at court hearings held to consider an extension of their incommunicado detention, except for the first hearing (96 hours after arrest) and the hearing on expiry of the first period of incommunicado detention, as well as any appeal hearing against an extension.
The law would therefore allow for detained suspects to be virtually cut off from the outside world for up to 50 days, with the exception of two appearances before a judge.
It is during incommunicado detention, when detainees are deprived of contact with families and lawyers, that they are most at risk of torture and ill-treatment.
The majority of reports of torture or ill-treatment of detainees in Israel received by Amnesty International concern the period during which detainees are held incommunicado under interrogation.
The proposed extension of the already prolonged period of incommunicado detention permitted under the law currently in force in Israel is inconsistent with Israel’s obligations under international human rights law. The UN Human Rights Committee stated in 2003 that the use of prolonged detention without any access to a lawyer or other persons of the outside world violates articles the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and called on Israel to: "…ensure that no one is held for more than 48 hours without access to a lawyer."
The Israeli Knesset (parliament) is currently in pre-election recess in preparation for the elections on 28 March, but efforts have been stepped up to get this draft law passed before the elections take place.
In a most unusual move during a pre-election recess, the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee convened a special session on 16 March to discuss the government-sponsored law. A further meeting of the Committee is scheduled for 20 March and if the proponents of the law succeed to re-call the Knesset by 27 March the draft law will be put to the vote.
Source: Palestine-Info.co.uk
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/am/publish/article_17445.shtml
London - The Israeli government is seeking to rush a new law through parliament before the forthcoming elections on 28 March, which would empower the General Security Service (GSS) to detain anyone classified as a non-resident of Israel without access to legal counsel for up to 50 days after arrest.
According to the London-based Amnesty International, the law would also deny such detainees the right to attend court hearings held to consider the extension of their detention. Amnesty International is concerned that permitting detainees to be cut off from the outside world for this length of time would increase their risk of being tortured or ill-treated.
The new law, entitled the "Criminal Procedure (Enforcement Powers - Special Provisions for Investigating Security Offences of Non-Residents) (Temporary Provision) Law, 5765 – 2005", would be fundamentally discriminatory as it would apply only to non-residents of Israel suspected of "security" offences.
The law would extend the initial period for which security forces could hold detainees incommunicado from a maximum of 48 hours to 96 hours.
It also allows for two additional periods of incommunicado detention, meaning that detainees could be held incommunicado for up to 50 days.
The law currently in force in Israel allows detainees to be held incommunicado for a total maximum period of 30 days.
The new law would also extend the time during which a detainee being interrogated by the security forces may be denied access to a lawyer from 21 days to 50 days.
The law would deny detainees the right to be present at court hearings held to consider an extension of their incommunicado detention, except for the first hearing (96 hours after arrest) and the hearing on expiry of the first period of incommunicado detention, as well as any appeal hearing against an extension.
The law would therefore allow for detained suspects to be virtually cut off from the outside world for up to 50 days, with the exception of two appearances before a judge.
It is during incommunicado detention, when detainees are deprived of contact with families and lawyers, that they are most at risk of torture and ill-treatment.
The majority of reports of torture or ill-treatment of detainees in Israel received by Amnesty International concern the period during which detainees are held incommunicado under interrogation.
The proposed extension of the already prolonged period of incommunicado detention permitted under the law currently in force in Israel is inconsistent with Israel’s obligations under international human rights law. The UN Human Rights Committee stated in 2003 that the use of prolonged detention without any access to a lawyer or other persons of the outside world violates articles the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and called on Israel to: "…ensure that no one is held for more than 48 hours without access to a lawyer."
The Israeli Knesset (parliament) is currently in pre-election recess in preparation for the elections on 28 March, but efforts have been stepped up to get this draft law passed before the elections take place.
In a most unusual move during a pre-election recess, the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee convened a special session on 16 March to discuss the government-sponsored law. A further meeting of the Committee is scheduled for 20 March and if the proponents of the law succeed to re-call the Knesset by 27 March the draft law will be put to the vote.
Source: Palestine-Info.co.uk
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/am/publish/article_17445.shtml
Russia Spies Operated in Iraq Through 2003
By MIKE ECKEL, Associated Press Writer1 hour, 16 minutes ago
Russia had a military intelligence unit operating in Iraq up through the 2003 U.S. invasion and fall of Baghdad, a Russian analyst said Friday as the Pentagon reported Moscow fed Saddam Hussein's government with intelligence on the American military.
Iraqi documents released as part of the Pentagon report asserted that the Russians relayed information to Saddam through their ambassador in Baghdad during the opening days of the war in late March and early April 2003, including a crucial time before the ground assault on Baghdad.
Pavel Felgenhauer, a respected independent Moscow-based military analyst, told The Associated Press the report was "quite plausible."
He said a unit affiliated with the Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Department, known by its abbreviation GRU, was actively working in Iraq at the time of the U.S. invasion. The unit apparently was shut down after the fall of Baghdad.
Felgenhauer said at that time, there was an Internet site in Russian called "The Ramzay Files" that caused a stir in Moscow's military and diplomatic community. The site, which also shut down after the invasion, posted striking insights, predictions and analysis into U.S. military activities as well Iraqi military and intelligence activities.
He said former GRU officials told him the type of information that was being posted — both on the Iraqis and on the Americans — appeared to be the kind of that only highly placed Russian intelligence officials in Iraq would have.
It was not immediately clear whether there was any connection between the GRU unit and the Russian sources the Pentagon said were operating inside the American Central Command as it planned and executed the invasion of Iraq.
Felgenhauer said the release of the Pentagon report was coming at an inauspicious time. Given the marked cooling in Russian-US relations of recent months, it could be "the beginning of a real degradation in relations" between Washington and Moscow.
A spokeswoman for Russia's U.N. misson in New York slammed the report, saying its charges are unsupported.
"To my mind, from my understanding it's absolutely nonsense and it's ridiculous," said Maria Zakharova. She said the United States had not shown Russia the evidence cited in the report.
"Somebody wants to say something, and did — and there is no evidence to prove it," she said.
The presence of Russian diplomats in Baghdad as U.S. forces closed in on the city resulted in some testy accusations between Moscow and Washington.
On April 6, 2003, Russian diplomats came under fire as they fled Baghdad, wounding at least four people. Russia's ambassador to Iraq, Vladimir Titorenko, has accused American troops of shooting at his convoy. The U.S. ambassador to Russia, Alexander Vershbow, said the Russians had changed their route from one that American officials had deemed safer.
Three days later, the Russian daily Nezavisimaya Gazeta reported that the convoy might have been carrying secret Iraqi files that U.S. intelligence officers wanted to seize — a report Russian intelligence agencies denied.
Vershbow later said in a newspaper interview that Washington had been aware of contacts between Russian and Iraqi spy agencies, but the United States needed to gather more facts before coming to a definite conclusion on the subject.
Russian intelligence officials repeatedly denied having any links with Iraqi spy services. But several recent British and U.S. newspaper reports cited documents found at the office of the Iraqi spy service, Mukhabarat, that showed Iraq was receiving intelligence assistance from Russia.
Source: AP via Yahoo! News
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060325/ap_on_re_eu/russia_us_iraq_war
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
India and Pakistan consider SAARC police
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
By Iftikhar Gilani
NEW DELHI: Top investigation officials of India and Pakistan began two-day’s of technical level talks here on Tuesday for the first time in 17 years.
A four-member Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) team, led by its Director General Tariq Pervez, held talks with Indian counterparts in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). CBI’s Director Vijay Shankar led the Indian delegation. A statement issued by CBI headquarters said the deliberations focused on institutionalising cooperation in tackling human trafficking and counterfeit currency. Both sides also discussed the possibility of appointment of nodal officers in both countries for quick exchange of information on criminal matters.
During the meeting, both agencies also discussed the possibility of the formation of a SAARCPOL (SAARC Police) on the pattern of EUROPOL, that fights cross-border crime in Europe. Both sides also took up issues relating to immigration and Interpol matters.
Besides Shanker, the Indian side includes an additional director, joint director (policy) and deputy director (coordination) of the CBI, representatives of the Home and External Affairs Ministries, and officials from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence and Narcotics Control Bureau. The meeting is a follow up of the home secretary-level talks held in August 2005. The major investigation agencies of the two countries last held talks in 1989 in Islamabad. India has been pressing for handing over underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, declared a global terrorist, and five hijackers of the Indian Airlines plane in 1999. But, Pakistan has denied Indian allegations that Ibrahim is in Pakistan. Agencies add: India and Pakistan have also agreed to set up a joint task force to protect the wild life. The agreement was made in a Working Group meeting between the joint environment secretaries of Pakistan and India held at Islamabad on Tuesday. The Pakistani delegation was headed by Joint Environment Secretary Khizer Hayat whereas the Indian delegation was led by Sudiya Menghal.
Source: Daily Times, Pakistan
http://dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006\03\22\story_22-3-2006_pg7_3
By Iftikhar Gilani
NEW DELHI: Top investigation officials of India and Pakistan began two-day’s of technical level talks here on Tuesday for the first time in 17 years.
A four-member Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) team, led by its Director General Tariq Pervez, held talks with Indian counterparts in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). CBI’s Director Vijay Shankar led the Indian delegation. A statement issued by CBI headquarters said the deliberations focused on institutionalising cooperation in tackling human trafficking and counterfeit currency. Both sides also discussed the possibility of appointment of nodal officers in both countries for quick exchange of information on criminal matters.
During the meeting, both agencies also discussed the possibility of the formation of a SAARCPOL (SAARC Police) on the pattern of EUROPOL, that fights cross-border crime in Europe. Both sides also took up issues relating to immigration and Interpol matters.
Besides Shanker, the Indian side includes an additional director, joint director (policy) and deputy director (coordination) of the CBI, representatives of the Home and External Affairs Ministries, and officials from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence and Narcotics Control Bureau. The meeting is a follow up of the home secretary-level talks held in August 2005. The major investigation agencies of the two countries last held talks in 1989 in Islamabad. India has been pressing for handing over underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, declared a global terrorist, and five hijackers of the Indian Airlines plane in 1999. But, Pakistan has denied Indian allegations that Ibrahim is in Pakistan. Agencies add: India and Pakistan have also agreed to set up a joint task force to protect the wild life. The agreement was made in a Working Group meeting between the joint environment secretaries of Pakistan and India held at Islamabad on Tuesday. The Pakistani delegation was headed by Joint Environment Secretary Khizer Hayat whereas the Indian delegation was led by Sudiya Menghal.
Source: Daily Times, Pakistan
http://dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006\03\22\story_22-3-2006_pg7_3
Monday, March 20, 2006
McClatchy to Buy Knight Ridder for $4.4B
By SETH SUTEL, AP Business WriterMon Mar 13, 5:48 PM ET
The McClatchy Co. is making its biggest bet yet on the future of the newspaper industry by agreeing to pay $4.4 billion in cash and stock to acquire Knight Ridder Inc., a major newspaper publisher more than twice its size.
The addition of The Miami Herald, Fort Worth Star-Telegram and 18 other papers in fast-growing cities may be less risky than it seems. McClatchy CEO Gary Pruitt said in an interview Monday that all the papers are dominant in their markets and ripe for rapid expansions of their Internet and direct mail businesses, without requiring deep cuts in newsgathering budgets.
But Pruitt is also counting on paying down acquisition debt quickly by selling The Philadelphia Inquirer, the San Jose Mercury-News and 10 other Knight Ridder newspapers. Those properties don't meet Sacramento-based McClatchy's growth-market criteria — or in the case of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, compete directly with McClatchy's Star Tribune in neighboring Minneapolis.
The takeover would be the second largest in U.S. newspaper history, topped only by the Tribune Co.'s $6.5 billion acquisition in 2000 of Times Mirror Co. After the divestitures, McClatchy's 32 newspapers would be second nationwide in daily circulation behind Gannett, and rank fourth in revenue behind Gannett, Tribune and the New York Times Co.
Pruitt, a youthful looking 48-year-old, said he doesn't anticipate any problems selling the newspapers, which he said could possibly coincide with the anticipated closing of the Knight Ridder purchase in the summer.
Analysts generally agreed they likely will be sold quickly. Gannett and William Dean Singleton's MediaNews Group Inc., which owns The Denver Post and other newspapers, earlier considered making bids for Knight Ridder and are viewed as potential bidders. Gannett declined to comment, and MediaNews didn't return a call seeking comment.
In addition, "There are some deep-pocketed guys who want to own newspapers," said industry analyst Edward Atorino, who noted that New York's two tabloids are controlled by Rupert Murdoch and real estate developer Mort Zuckerman.
McClatchy, which normally keeps debt levels low, is taking on $3.75 billion in bank debt as well as $2 billion in debt from Knight Ridder. But Pruitt said the company expects to retain its investment grade rating on its debt by quickly moving to reduce its debt ratio below four times its cash flow.
The deal would produce about $60 million in annual savings, largely from consolidating corporate functions and some centrally operated Internet operations, he said. Pruitt added that he does not anticipate any layoffs at the newspapers as a result of the transaction, though he said the Washington news bureaus of the two companies would be combined, again without layoffs.
"These are high quality papers, they're doing well, and we expect to sustain and further their journalism," Pruitt said.
Newspaper stocks have been out of favor on Wall Street recently over concerns about declining circulation trends, the competitive threat from the Internet and other concerns including the rising cost of newsprint.
Those concerns were evident in stock market trading Monday. McClatchy shares fell $1.51, or 2.9 percent, to $51.55 in heavy trading on the New York Stock Exchange after earlier declining to as low as $49.21 a share. Knight Ridder's shares fell $1.08, or 1.7 percent, to $63.92.
Based on Monday's closing price, the deal values San Jose, Calif.-based Knight Ridder at $66.38 per share, including $40 per share in cash and 0.5118 of a share of McClatchy's Class A stock. Monday's decline in McClatchy shares sliced about $60 million from the total value of deal.
McClatchy said in a regulatory filing Monday that it is entitled to a fee of $171.9 million from Knight Ridder if the takeover is called off under certain circumstances.
Still, Merrill Lynch analyst Lauren Rich Fine said McClatchy has a "lot of credibility" among investors in handling its previous acquisitions, which included the 1997 purchase of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, even if it paid full price to get them. "They have always have done better on the numbers than they said they would," Fine said.
Knight Ridder put itself on the block last fall when the company's largest shareholders forced it to explore a sale, having become frustrated with its stock performance. Knight Ridder's chairman and CEO Tony Ridder said in a statement Monday the "uncertainty is not over" for employees at the 12 papers McClatchy intends to divest, and "I regret that very much."
Pruitt declined to say where the expressions of interest were coming from, but he said no deals were in place. Pruitt also acknowledged that the company could face significant tax bills in selling the papers, which have been held by Knight Ridder for a long time, making their relative cost basis low.
Robert Willens, a tax and accounting analyst at Lehman Bros., said there was little that could be done to avoid paying those tax bills, which he said could amount to between 25 and 28 percent of the purchase price.
In addition to the 20 newspapers being added from Knight Ridder to the 12 McClatchy already had, the deal also gives McClatchy a bigger foothold on the Internet as it takes on Knight Ridder's one-third stake in CareerBuilder, a growing online job postings business that is co-owned with Gannett and Tribune, as well as the Real Cities Network, a grouping of 110 local Internet sites, and a 49 percent interest in The Seattle Times.
Source: AP via Yahoo! News
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060313/ap_on_bi_ge/knight_ridder_mcclatchy
The McClatchy Co. is making its biggest bet yet on the future of the newspaper industry by agreeing to pay $4.4 billion in cash and stock to acquire Knight Ridder Inc., a major newspaper publisher more than twice its size.
The addition of The Miami Herald, Fort Worth Star-Telegram and 18 other papers in fast-growing cities may be less risky than it seems. McClatchy CEO Gary Pruitt said in an interview Monday that all the papers are dominant in their markets and ripe for rapid expansions of their Internet and direct mail businesses, without requiring deep cuts in newsgathering budgets.
But Pruitt is also counting on paying down acquisition debt quickly by selling The Philadelphia Inquirer, the San Jose Mercury-News and 10 other Knight Ridder newspapers. Those properties don't meet Sacramento-based McClatchy's growth-market criteria — or in the case of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, compete directly with McClatchy's Star Tribune in neighboring Minneapolis.
The takeover would be the second largest in U.S. newspaper history, topped only by the Tribune Co.'s $6.5 billion acquisition in 2000 of Times Mirror Co. After the divestitures, McClatchy's 32 newspapers would be second nationwide in daily circulation behind Gannett, and rank fourth in revenue behind Gannett, Tribune and the New York Times Co.
Pruitt, a youthful looking 48-year-old, said he doesn't anticipate any problems selling the newspapers, which he said could possibly coincide with the anticipated closing of the Knight Ridder purchase in the summer.
Analysts generally agreed they likely will be sold quickly. Gannett and William Dean Singleton's MediaNews Group Inc., which owns The Denver Post and other newspapers, earlier considered making bids for Knight Ridder and are viewed as potential bidders. Gannett declined to comment, and MediaNews didn't return a call seeking comment.
In addition, "There are some deep-pocketed guys who want to own newspapers," said industry analyst Edward Atorino, who noted that New York's two tabloids are controlled by Rupert Murdoch and real estate developer Mort Zuckerman.
McClatchy, which normally keeps debt levels low, is taking on $3.75 billion in bank debt as well as $2 billion in debt from Knight Ridder. But Pruitt said the company expects to retain its investment grade rating on its debt by quickly moving to reduce its debt ratio below four times its cash flow.
The deal would produce about $60 million in annual savings, largely from consolidating corporate functions and some centrally operated Internet operations, he said. Pruitt added that he does not anticipate any layoffs at the newspapers as a result of the transaction, though he said the Washington news bureaus of the two companies would be combined, again without layoffs.
"These are high quality papers, they're doing well, and we expect to sustain and further their journalism," Pruitt said.
Newspaper stocks have been out of favor on Wall Street recently over concerns about declining circulation trends, the competitive threat from the Internet and other concerns including the rising cost of newsprint.
Those concerns were evident in stock market trading Monday. McClatchy shares fell $1.51, or 2.9 percent, to $51.55 in heavy trading on the New York Stock Exchange after earlier declining to as low as $49.21 a share. Knight Ridder's shares fell $1.08, or 1.7 percent, to $63.92.
Based on Monday's closing price, the deal values San Jose, Calif.-based Knight Ridder at $66.38 per share, including $40 per share in cash and 0.5118 of a share of McClatchy's Class A stock. Monday's decline in McClatchy shares sliced about $60 million from the total value of deal.
McClatchy said in a regulatory filing Monday that it is entitled to a fee of $171.9 million from Knight Ridder if the takeover is called off under certain circumstances.
Still, Merrill Lynch analyst Lauren Rich Fine said McClatchy has a "lot of credibility" among investors in handling its previous acquisitions, which included the 1997 purchase of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, even if it paid full price to get them. "They have always have done better on the numbers than they said they would," Fine said.
Knight Ridder put itself on the block last fall when the company's largest shareholders forced it to explore a sale, having become frustrated with its stock performance. Knight Ridder's chairman and CEO Tony Ridder said in a statement Monday the "uncertainty is not over" for employees at the 12 papers McClatchy intends to divest, and "I regret that very much."
Pruitt declined to say where the expressions of interest were coming from, but he said no deals were in place. Pruitt also acknowledged that the company could face significant tax bills in selling the papers, which have been held by Knight Ridder for a long time, making their relative cost basis low.
Robert Willens, a tax and accounting analyst at Lehman Bros., said there was little that could be done to avoid paying those tax bills, which he said could amount to between 25 and 28 percent of the purchase price.
In addition to the 20 newspapers being added from Knight Ridder to the 12 McClatchy already had, the deal also gives McClatchy a bigger foothold on the Internet as it takes on Knight Ridder's one-third stake in CareerBuilder, a growing online job postings business that is co-owned with Gannett and Tribune, as well as the Real Cities Network, a grouping of 110 local Internet sites, and a 49 percent interest in The Seattle Times.
Source: AP via Yahoo! News
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060313/ap_on_bi_ge/knight_ridder_mcclatchy
Sunday, March 19, 2006
Indian 'witchcraft' family beheaded
A family of five has been beheaded in Sonitpur district, north-east India, by a mob who accused them of witchcraft.
The tea plantation worker and his four children had been blamed for causing a disease which killed two other workers and made many unwell in Assam state.
About 200 villagers tried and sentenced the family in an unofficial court, then publicly beheaded them with machetes.
They then marched to a police station with the heads, chanting slogans denouncing witchcraft and black magic.
'Pregnant wife fled'
The incident occurred at the Sadharu tea plantation near the town of Biswanath Charali, about 300 km (190 miles) north of Guwahati, Assam's main city.
Sixty-year-old Amir Munda, who was killed alongside his two daughters and two sons, was reportedly a traditional healer.
After two plantation workers died and many others became ill from mysterious illness, other members of the Adivasi Santhal community accused him and his family of being the cause.
"A trial was held to prove if Munda and his family were involved in casting evil spells in the tea garden that led to a bout of epidemics in the area," police officer D Das said. "They said the killings would appease the gods.
"Munda's pregnant wife and her three young children managed to escape before the mob killed the other members of the family," A Hazarika, a local police official, told AFP.
Six people were arrested for the killings, Mr Hazarika said.
According to police records, some 200 people have been killed in Assam in the past five years for allegedly practicing witchcraft.
Source: BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4822750.stm
The tea plantation worker and his four children had been blamed for causing a disease which killed two other workers and made many unwell in Assam state.
About 200 villagers tried and sentenced the family in an unofficial court, then publicly beheaded them with machetes.
They then marched to a police station with the heads, chanting slogans denouncing witchcraft and black magic.
'Pregnant wife fled'
The incident occurred at the Sadharu tea plantation near the town of Biswanath Charali, about 300 km (190 miles) north of Guwahati, Assam's main city.
Sixty-year-old Amir Munda, who was killed alongside his two daughters and two sons, was reportedly a traditional healer.
After two plantation workers died and many others became ill from mysterious illness, other members of the Adivasi Santhal community accused him and his family of being the cause.
"A trial was held to prove if Munda and his family were involved in casting evil spells in the tea garden that led to a bout of epidemics in the area," police officer D Das said. "They said the killings would appease the gods.
"Munda's pregnant wife and her three young children managed to escape before the mob killed the other members of the family," A Hazarika, a local police official, told AFP.
Six people were arrested for the killings, Mr Hazarika said.
According to police records, some 200 people have been killed in Assam in the past five years for allegedly practicing witchcraft.
Source: BBC News
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4822750.stm
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