A BJP leader was found dead this morning in a village in West Bengal. Locals found his body hanging from a tree in Bankura district’s Nidhirampur village after which they informed the police.

As the news of his death spread, tension flared up in the area. Some locals have alleged that Shubhadeep Mishra alias Deepu was murdered and then hung from a tree. They also began a protest demanding the arrest of the culprits. Police are investigating whether this incident happened due to some personal dispute or there is a political reason behind it.

The BJP, meanwhile, has alleged that Mishra was allegedly murdered at the behest of the ruling Trinamool Congress and demanded a CBI probe into the matter.

“TMC goons have murdered Subhadeep Mishra and hung his body from a tree with his hands tied. Subhadeep Mishra of Bankura District was a BJP candidate who contested the 2023 Panchayat Elections from Nidhirampur at Lotiyaboni Anchal of Gangajalghati Block in the Saltora Assembly Constituency area. He has been murdered as the TMC thieves and goons couldn’t digest his growing popularity and stance against corruption,” Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari said in a tweet. The BJP leader has also demanded a CBI investigation in the matter.

“This is a murder. The video that is available, which I have also posted on X after blurring the face, clearly shows his hands are tied. Nobody can hang themselves from a tree after tying their hands. It is clear that his hands were tied and then he was hung from a tree. We think it is a political murder and the incompetence of the police and Trinamool Congress are goons are connected to it. We agree with the family’s demand, and we are also demanding a CBI enquiry in the case,” Mr Adhikari added.

According to news agency ANI, the family claims that Mishra was murdered by the family of a married woman from the village he was having an affair with.

The Trinamool Congress has hit back at Mr Adhikari for his comments and alleged the BJP was indulging in vulture politics. Senior Trinamool leader and cabinet minister Shashi Panja told reporters, “What is the role of the BJP here? It can be a BJP supporter or a TMC supporter, but we have to see what the family is saying. Family members are pointing fingers at another family and thy are saying it a personal issue that led to this death. The BJP jumps into the fray the moment there is a death. This is vulture politics.”

A lizard that has not been seen in Australia in over 40 years has been rediscovered in Queensland, according to a report in Yahoo News. The Lyon’s grassland striped skink was last spotted in the wild in 1981. It has so far been known only from specimens stored in a museum. An expedition was launched by researchers from Queensland Museum and experts from James Cook University in April to find rare lizards. But the team was not sure if they will stumble upon the rare species.

The researchers set up traps across a five square kilometre area wading through high grass on a farmland near Mount Surprise, some 300km south of Cairns.

This was the same area where the skinks were last documented.

“Our mission was basically to see whether they were alive. And so we targeted the one spot it was known to occur,” Queensland Museum’s Dr Andrew Amey told Yahoo News.

“It’s hard work surveying for them, you have to dig in to set pit traps in the black soil which sets like concrete very quickly. You can’t visually survey for them because of the grass, so you just have to set the traps and be patient,” he added.

The team also found two other rare species – the limbless Mount Surprise slider and the fine-lined slider. All these worm-like lizards are known for their legs that have been reduced as an adaptation to their sandy environment.

The Lyon’s grassland striped skink has been listed by Queensland and the Commonwealth as critically endangered.

According to Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) of the Australian government, the lizard can reach up to a length of 51 mm (from snout to vent). It is dark brown in colour with 10-14 pale narrow stripes that can vary from clearly visible, to short and barely discernible.

The tail of the species is straw-coloured, the Australian government body further said.

Shin Hye Sun and Ji Chang Wook essay the lead in ‘Welcome to Samdalri’, which follows the story of Jo Sam Dal, who dreams of leaving her small hometown on Jeju Island for Seoul to pursue fashion photography. After facing a setback in her career, she returns to Samdalri. The new pictures show Sam Dal as a professional photographer, capturing stunning photos. The drama is set to premiere on December 2 and promises to be heartwarming and exciting.