KENDRAPARA/SAMBALPUR: The social evil of witch-hunting continues to grip the state as two persons were killed over suspicion of sorcery in Kendrapara and Sambalpur districts on Monday night. A 55-year-old man was allegedly killed by some villagers on suspicion of practising sorcery at Bantapatana village within Pattamundai police limits in Kendrapara.
Laxmipriya Sahoo (74), the mother of victim Manicharana Sahoo, lodged a complaint with Pattamundai police on Tuesday alleging that one Aaju Moharana and his two sons Bipin and Gulu brutally attacked her son with a shovel and a bamboo stick. They were under the impression that Manicharana was practising witchcraft in the village.
Sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) of Pattamundai Sandhyarani Beura said, “Acting on the FIR, we registered a murder case. During the investigation, police spoke to villagers about the role of the three accused in the case. All the accused fled the village but we have formed a team to nab them.”Similarly, a 50-year-old man was allegedly murdered by his neighbour on sorcery suspicion at Dimirikuda village within Kisinda police limits in Sambalpur on Tuesday.
Police said the accused Sanju Majhi (32) has been detained for beating Shukru Majhi to death. Rairakhol SDPO PK Meher informed that the accused’s four-year-old son died around four years back. Sanju suspected that his child died due to black magic performed by Shukru. He was nursing a grudge against Shukru since then.
Shukru’s wife Ratani said on Monday night, a group of four to five persons barged into her house and attacked her husband with sticks. Panicked by the attack, she fled. On returning home, she found her husband lying unconscious in a pool of blood. Shukru was rushed to the hospital where the doctors declared him dead.
Ratani lodged a complaint with the police in this regard. The SDPO said preliminary investigation revealed that the accused committed the crime alone. “He has been detained and police are interrogating him,” he added.