“Man Tortured for Sorcery Suspicion: Khalikote Police Arrest 7”

Reported by Express News Service
Seven individuals have been apprehended by Khalikote police in Ganjam for allegedly subjecting a man to torture on suspicions of sorcery in the village of Kalenjipalli on Saturday evening. The victim, identified as Sahadev Pradhan, is 57 years old. According to the police, last month, a seven-year-old boy from Kalenjipalli died under mysterious circumstances, while five other children fell ill. The villagers believed that sorcery was the cause behind these incidents. Due to Sahadev’s regular visits to a local religious institution over the past few months, some villagers began spreading rumors that he was involved in practicing witchcraft.

On Saturday, when Sahadev emerged from his house, a group of villagers forcefully took him to the road and subjected him to a merciless assault. Despite his pleas of innocence, the villagers refused to listen and subsequently tied him to an electric pole. They even planned to feed Sahadev human excreta before the police intervened at the scene.

<br /> Khalikote Officer-in-Charge, J Malik, stated that upon receiving the information, the police promptly arrived in Kalenjipalli and rescued Sahadev from the clutches of the villagers. Later in the evening, seven individuals were arrested for their involvement in the victim’s torture and were presented in court on Sunday. An ongoing investigation aims to identify and apprehend any others implicated in the incident, added Malik. Sources have revealed that many male residents of Kalenjipalli have fled the village in an effort to evade police action.