3 killed, 3 critical in group clash over suspected sorcery in Ganjam district
Three persons were killed while three others sustained critical injuries following a group clash between them over practicing of suspected sorcery by one group in Ganjam district of Odisha this evening.
Berhampur: Three persons were killed while three others sustained critical injuries following a group clash between them over practicing of suspected sorcery by one group in Ganjam district of Odisha this evening.
One Khadala Behera of Kharipalli village under Badagada Police limits of the district and his son Ratnakara Behera were reportedly ostracized from the village three years ago for allegedly practicing witchcraft. Since then, there was a long-standing dispute between the locals and the father-son.
A heated argument erupted between Khadala-Ratnakara and some villages this evening. Soon, it turned ugly as both the parties attacked each other physically and hacked one another with sharp weapons.
The group fight was so violent that Khadala-Ratnakara died on the spot, while the third person named Ramesh Behera, who was attacked by the father-son, breathed his last while undergoing treatment at the Dharakote Community Health Centre (CHC). The three injured persons have been admitted at the hospital for treatment.
A team of Badagada Police rushed to Kharipalli village and started an investigation into the matter. They seized the bodies of the deceased and sent them for postmortem.
As tension prevailed in the village, security was tightened and adequate police forces have been deployed.
