Odisha man beaten, forced to drink urine for ‘practising sorcery’

Police said Hadibandhu Bagarti faced the accusation after a few people fell sick in his village and he was declared guilty at a meeting

Updated on: Jul 6, 2021, 09:25:13 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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A man was allegedly beaten up and forced to drink urine for allegedly practising sorcery in Odisha’s Bolangir district on Saturday. The matter came to light on Monday after a video of the incident went viral.

Representational Image. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Police said Hadibandhu Bagarti faced the accusation after a few people fell sick in his village and he was declared guilty at a meeting. On Saturday, a group of villagers dragged him out of his house and assaulted him with sticks before he was forced to drink urine. Bagarti was rushed to a hospital after his family informed the police.

Also Read | Couple hacked to death in Aurangabad for ‘practising witchcraft’, 3 held

Bolangir police superintendent P Nitin Kushalkar said two cases have been lodged and a few villagers have been detained.

On Sunday, a 63-year-old widow in Mayurbhanj was murdered over allegedly practising witchcraft. Her headless body was found outside her village. “We have detained two people after lodging a case in this regard. More arrests are likely. Prima facie it looks like a case of murder over witchcraft though a detailed probe (is underway)...,” said Mayurbhanj police superintendent Smith Parmar.

Last month, a man in Ganjam was beaten to death before he was forced to eat human excreta along with two others over suspicions of practising witchcraft. Police have arrested 14 persons in the case.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More