Some local youths near Badamangala locality in Kendrapara town tied up a mentally-challenged woman and beat her up for entering a local temple, police said on Saturday.
On the night of August 11, the mentally unsound woman entered the sanctum sanctorum of the Bada Mangala temple. The local residents were agitated as they believed the deity was desecrated and dishonoured with the mentally ill woman tapping and patting the deity.
So they beat her for nearly 15 minutes, eyewitnesses said.
Later police rushed to the spot to rescue the woman. Despite the grave nature of the offence, the police are yet to file a case.
Kendrapara inspector Sanjeev Mohanty said “We rescued the woman from mob fury. The victim was later sent back to her house. The trouble makers had fled following arrival of the police. The incident is being investigated. We are yet to register a case.”
The incident has evoked sharp reactions from various social sections.