Odisha man beheaded by nephew over witchcraft suspicion

The victim was alone at the house when the crime was committed. He was found in a pool of blood with the head severed

Published on: Nov 12, 2022, 18:35:25 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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A 60-year-old man in tribal-dominated Mayurbhanj district was allegedly beheaded by his nephew over suspicions that he practised witchcraft, police said.

Police said the accused also had a running feud with the victim over land related issues (Representative Image)

Police said the family members of Tunguru Singh of Sarjandi village under Bholagadia grampanchayat in Mayurbhanj district found his body with head severed on Friday evening. “Singh was alone at the house and his wife and daughter-in-law had gone to a nearby stadium to watch a football match. When they returned they were horrified to find him in a pool of blood with the head severed,” said Sarthak Ray, sub divisional police officer of Udala.

Police said Singh’s nephew Bapun was arrested after preliminary inquiry and he reportedly confessed to have murdered him with a billhook. “For long Bapun suspected his uncle to be practising witchcraft. He also had a running feud with him over land related issues. Yesterday both of them started quarrelling after which Bapun murdered Singh,” the police official said.

Instances of murders and assaults over suspicions of practising witchcraft are often reported in Odisha, despite the state government enacting a special law to prosecute the accused. More than 60 first information reports (FIRs) have been registered under the Odisha Prevention of Witch Hunting Act 2013 this year. Maximum offences were reported in Mayurbhanj district.

Last month, police in Ganjam district arrested 33 people including 20 women for allegedly beating a 55-year-old woman to death as she approached police over an attack on her husband over suspicion that he practised witchcraft.

In September, seven people were arrested in Mayurbhanj district for allegedly killing a 33-year-old tribal man over similar suspicion.

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

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