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India Today
7 days ago
- Sport
- India Today
How Animesh Kujur trained to be India's fastest sprinter
A tribal youth who trained with army aspirants in north Chhattisgarh's Ambikapur district is now the holder of the national record in the 100m and 200m sprint July 5, history was made when Animesh Kujur, 22, completed the 100m sprint in 10.18 seconds at the Dromia International Sprint and Relays Meeting in Greece, breaking the previous Indian national record of 10.20 seconds held by Gurindervir from the Oraon tribal community in north Chhattisgarh, also holds the 200m national record of 20.32 seconds, which he clocked in May at the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South is also part of the team that holds the national record for the 4x100 m relay. The record-making spree continues with Kujur becoming the first Indian to participate in the Diamond League in Monaco and missing a podium finish in the 200m event by a whisker. Born in Jashpur, the home district of Chhattisgarh chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai, Animesh's parents, father Amrit and mother Rina, are both deputy superintendents of police (DSPs).Animesh, like javelin champion Neeraj Chopra, has a military connection. Early in life, his parents decided to enroll Animesh at the Sainik School in Ambikapur, where the focus on physical training besides academics honed Animesh's sporting skills. In school, Animesh also played football besides cross-country running and runs in Animesh's blood. Father Amrit was into athletics before he took up hockey and football. Mother Rina has been a basketball would join army aspirants in runs in Ambikapur as part of his practice during the Covid years. It was more recently that he was picked up by the Reliance Foundation's Athletics High Performance Centre, where he has been training under British coach Martin coach's strategy has been to provide Kujur exposure at international events and also expand his range of movement—key to securing a better performance. Up next are the World University Games at Rhine-Ruhr in Germany, where Animesh participates as a student of Kalinga University, and the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in to India Today Magazine- Ends
Time of India
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Won't contest in polls, says Union minister Oram
Bhubaneswar: Union tribal affairs minister Jual Oram on Saturday said he is not going to contest in future elections but would be willing to serve in other capacities such as a Rajya Sabha member or as a governor. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Speaking to the media in Sambalpur after attending a Rozgar Mela there, the six-time Lok Sabha member said, "I won't run for MLA or Lok Sabha MP any more. I will continue working for the party, but I feel it's time to make way for younger candidates." The 64-year-old veteran politician contested nine elections so far – seven for Lok Sabha and two in the assembly. His announcement comes barely a year after his re-election to Lok Sabha, defeating BJD's Dilip Tirkey by more than 1.38 lakh votes from Sundargarh constituency. Oram, who belongs to the Oraon tribe, made history in 1999 when he became India's first-ever cabinet minister for tribal affairs under Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He held the same portfolio in the Modi govt from 2014 to 2019 and again for a third time in 2024. His political journey began in 1990 when he was elected to the assembly from Bonai. Since then, he has maintained an impressive electoral record, winning all contests except in 2009 when former CM Hemananda Biswal defeated him from Sundargarh Lok Sabha seat. In 2014, he was the lone BJP Lok Sabha member elected from Odisha. Before entering politics, Oram worked as an assistant foreman at Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL). Born into a poor tribal family in Kendudihi village, Sundargarh district, he rose through the ranks to become one of India's prominent tribal leaders. During his tenure, Oram was instrumental in implementing various programmes for tribal welfare and served as the chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Defence from 2019 to 2024. Amid speculation about the timing of his announcement, Oram, however, left the door open for his involvement in electoral politics. "These are my personal opinions. If the party asks me to contest again, I will comply," Oram said.
The Print
10-07-2025
- The Print
Purnea murders rock Bihar: Teen saw mob beat family to death over ‘witchcraft', lived to tell the tale
Before the family could make sense of the situation, Ramdev returned with a mob of around 200 people carrying weapons, allegedly catching hold of five members of the family, and beating them up before 'setting them on fire'. The teen saw fellow villager Ramdev Oraon, standing with his sick nephew Sunil Oraon and warning that his entire family would be burnt alive if they didn't 'treat' his nephew within half an hour. Having lost his son around 10 days back, Ramdev appeared very aggressive. New Delhi: A 17-year-old and his family in Tetgama village in Bihar's Purnea were jolted awake from their sleep Sunday night by a loud hostile warning: 'You're a witch. You ate my son Sumit, and now will you eat my nephew too?' The murders in the village, predominantly home to a tribal community, have rocked Bihar, drawing widespread condemnation from various political leaders. An FIR was filed Monday based on the complaint of the 17-year-old, who alleged that his family was assaulted by the mob and burnt. Purnea district police have so far arrested three accused of the murder and disposing of the five bodies, three kilometres away from the village. The deceased have been identified as Babu Lal Oraon (65), his wife Sita Devi (60), their son Manjeet Oraon (25), daughter-in-law Rani Devi (22), and Babu Lal's mother Kota Mosmat (75). The three arrested have been identified as Chhotu Oraon and Nakul Oraon from the same village, while the third accused, Mohammed Sanaul, hails from the neighbouring village of Kumardih. Bihar Director General of Police Vinay Kumar said Tuesday that the accused persons used a tractor to dispose of the bodies after killing them. The tractor belonged to Sanaul. However, he said that victims were not burnt alive, but after they had died. 'The post-mortem report confirms that the victims were not burned alive, as there were no signs of smoke inhalation,' the DGP said at a press conference in Patna. 'They threatened him (Babulal) with dire consequences. When he failed to cure the child, villagers belonging to the Oraon caste group turned on him in anger, and beat him up severely. After the assault, they attempted to dispose of the body by burning it and loading it onto a tractor.' Also Read: 'Came in using broken window, gagged her': How vacation in Pahalgam turned nightmare for 70-yr-old woman How the complainant 'escaped' Purnea district police rushed their team to the village Monday morning after receiving a call from Babulal's minor son, after he regained consciousness and alerted the local police station. In his complaint to the police filed Monday afternoon, he laid out the sequence of events Sunday night. He alleged that Ramdev Oraon had returned within half an hour of sounding his warning, as he had said, around 10.30 with a mob of around 200 people, which carried sticks, rods and other sharp weapons, and included women villagers. Even before the family could think how to protect themselves, the mob allegedly caught hold of five of them and tied them up with ropes. The minor further claimed that all of them were beaten up mercilessly and assaulted, while being taken towards the village pond. A woman caught hold of the complainant himself, he said, and took him to the pond, where he allegedly witnessed the grievous assault on his parents, brother, sister-in-law and grandmother. While they were allegedly trying to burn them, taking them to be half-dead, the complainant managed to escape the woman's grip. 'When they were burning them by sprinkling oil on them, I somehow freed my hand and ran away from there. I went a little far away and hid in the dark, and was watching them beat up and burn my family,' the 17-year-old alleged in the police complaint, a copy of which ThePrint has seen. The charred remains of the bodies were allegedly filled in sacks before a tractor was called to the spot, and the bodies were taken to an unknown place, he further said. Based on the complaint, Purnea police Monday booked 23 suspects named by the minor complainant, including prime accused Ramdev, his wife Soni Devi, and brother-in-law Anil, and one Nakul under Sections 190 (liability of members of an unlawful assembly), 191 (2) and (3) (rioting), 118 (1) and (2) (voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 126 (2)( wrongful restraint), 103 (2), (mob lynching), 238 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Sections 3 and 4 of the Prevention Of Witch Practices Act, 1999 that criminalise identification of a woman as a witch, and damage caused on that pretext, have also been invoked. Purnea Superintendent of Police Sweety Sehrawat said in a statement that the bodies were buried inside the pond, three kilometres away from the village, to keep them from being discovered. As the matter came to light, senior public servants and representatives rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation. Purnia District Magistrate Anshul Kumar said that the bodies were tied and buried in the pond in the intervening night of Sunday and Monday. 'A postmortem has been conducted as per the established procedure, and as per the traditional way, last rites have been performed,' DM Kumar said Tuesday. He further said that the minor complainant has been provided with adequate security at an institution. 'We have arranged a ration for the family, and will ensure a compensation amount will be disbursed to the victims' family as soon as possible.' Both DGP and DM emphasised the need for awareness and education about the false claims and beliefs of 'black magic' and 'witchcraft'. (Edited by Mannat Chugh) Also Read: 8 years after JNU student Najeeb Ahmed disappeared, Delhi court accepts CBI's closure report
The Star
08-07-2025
- The Star
Indian villagers beat five to death for 'witchcraft'
NEW DELHI: Indian villagers beat a family of five to death and dumped their corpses in a lake? accusing them of "practising witchcraft" after the death of a boy, police said Tuesday (July 8). Three people have been arrested and have confessed to the crime, police in the northern state of Bihar said in a statement. Three women -- including a 75-year-old -- were among those murdered. The main accused believed that his son's recent death was caused by one of those killed, and blamed "him and his family of practising witchcraft", the statement said. "After beating the victims to death, the perpetrators loaded the bodies onto a tractor and dumped them in a pond," police said. The murderers and victims all belonged to India's Oraon tribe in Bihar, India's poorest state and a mainly Hindu region of at least 130 million people. Despite campaigns against superstition, belief in witchcraft remains widespread in rural areas across India, especially in isolated tribal communities. Some states, including Bihar, have introduced laws to try to curb crimes against people accused of witchcraft and superstition. Women have often been branded witches and targeted, but the killing of the family of five stands out as a particularly heinous recent example. More than 1,500 people -- the overwhelming majority of them women -- were killed in India on suspicion of witchcraft between 2010 and 2021, according to the National Crime Records Bureau. Some believe in the occult, but attackers also sometimes have other motives including usurping their rights over land and property. - AFP
Toronto Sun
08-07-2025
- Toronto Sun
Indian villagers beat five to death for 'witchcraft'
India's Bihar state is one of the country's poorest and most populous regions. Photo by XAVIER GALIANA / AFP NEW DELHI — Indian villagers beat a family of five to death and dumped their corpses in a lake, accusing them of 'practising witchcraft' after the death of a boy, police said Tuesday. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Three people have been arrested and have confessed to the crime, police in the northern state of Bihar said in a statement. Three women — including a 75-year-old — were among those murdered. The main accused believed that his son's recent death was caused by one of those killed, and blamed 'him and his family of practising witchcraft,' the statement said. 'After beating the victims to death, the perpetrators loaded the bodies onto a tractor and dumped them in a pond,' police said. The murderers and victims all belonged to India's Oraon tribe in Bihar, India's poorest state and a mainly Hindu region of at least 130 million people. Despite campaigns against superstition, belief in witchcraft remains widespread in rural areas across India, especially in isolated tribal communities. Some states, including Bihar, have introduced laws to try to curb crimes against people accused of witchcraft and superstition. Women have often been branded witches and targeted, but the killing of the family of five stands out as a particularly heinous recent example. More than 1,500 people — the overwhelming majority of them women — were killed in India on suspicion of witchcraft between 2010 and 2021, according to the National Crime Records Bureau. Some believe in the occult, but attackers also sometimes have other motives including usurping their rights over land and property. Canada Sunshine Girls Toronto Blue Jays Sunshine Girls Canada
