In two gruesome incidents of superstition, two elderly persons were killed on suspicion of practising witchcraft in the districts of Koraput and Ganjam.
While one deceased was identified as Ramna Bidika of Rutupai village under Bandhugaon block in Koraput, the other was Dandasi Goud of Ramagiri village under the Seragarh police limits in Ganjam.
The Koraput incident took place at neighbouring lungu village in Garidi panchayat under Bandhugaon block on Sunday. But it came to fore after the deceased’s wife approached the police on Wednesday.
After death of a person at lungu village identified as Barik Bidika, who was suffering from tuberculosis, on Saturday, villagers suspected Ramna was behind his death. They accused him of practising sorcery at a village meeting.
After Ramna and his wife denied the allegations, irate villagers beat the couple, following which they fainted. later, the villagers tied Ramna’s hands and legs with rope and took him to the crematorium, where he was burnt live. When Ramna’s wife queried about her husband, the villagers did not disclose anything to her.
later, when his wife came to know that her husband was burnt alive, she lodged complaint with the Bandhugaon police against 18 persons for killing her husband. A police team went to the village and found that all the male persons had fled fearing arrest.
In the incident in Ganjam, skin of victim Dandasi’s body was peeled off which suggested that villagers poured acid on his back, legs and hands. His body was found near a village pond.
This was the second brutal incident due to suspected sorcery reported on Wednesday in the district within 24 hours of the murder of one Niranjan Malik, who was beheaded and his head was found after five days. A case has been registered at the Seragarh police station.
According to reports, the incident took place over family feud. Both the families of Dandasi and his brother Pana had dispute due to several reasons. A few days ago, Pana fell sick and did not recover even after treatment. His family suspected that Dandasi was responsible for it; so, they plotted to eliminate him.
Dandasi was attacked by Pana’s three sons while he had gone outside for taking bath in a pond. They poured acid on his body, following which he died.