Despite the increasing literacy rate, superstition continues to prevail in the tribal areas of Gajapati district where people, old and young, are tortured and killed on the suspicion of practising black magic.
And some of the cases have been sensational.
A couple of days ago, some people at Khariguma under the Mohana police station were taken ill due to some unknown reasons. Suspecting that black magic caused the illness, a group of villagers approached a ‘tantric’ (black magician) and asked to identify a sorcerer for whom they have developed illness. The black magician named Nilambar Dalai, a priest of Badasindhaba gram panchayat temple. Then, the group went to the priest and allegedly beat him to death.
According to the complaint lodged by the priest’s wife Raita Dalai, Bisu Mallick, Bulu Mallick, Purnachandra Mallick, Bairaj Mallick, Bijaya Mallick and Kalia Mallick, all belonging to Khariguma village, beat Nilambar to death with wood while he was returning from hospital with his ailing daughter on Tuesday night.
“While we arrested four, two others surrendered at the police station. All have been forwarded to court,” Mohana PS IIC Prasanta Bhupati said.