Sorcery outrage again: two killed in Odisha village

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Rayagada, Aug 20:

Two persons were killed by villagers in Nathma village in Odisha’s tribal dominated Rayagada district on suspicion of practicing sorcery late last night.

The two have been identified as Apadu Melaka and Litika Pidika.

According to the account given by Shukuri, the teenage daughter of Litika who was rescued by journalists from inside her house, a group of villagers barged into their house around midnight and started assaulting her father. Later, they tied him up with a rope and dragged him along the village road.

After being rescued by some journalists, Shukuri has now been taken to Rayagada and handed over to police.

“There are no more than a handful of people in the village. Almost all of them, including women, have fled the village fearing a police crackdown,” Ranjan Rath, correspondent of ‘Nitidina’ who was part of the team that rescued the girl, told OST over phone.

The bodies of the duo are yet to be traced, but it is suspected that villagers have thrown the bodies into a nearby river.

Police sources, however, said no formal complaint has been lodged with them in this regard.

While police is yet to reach the village, they are interrogating a nephew of Apadu at the local police station, reports said.