Tribal Man Beaten to Death Over Witchcraft Suspicion in Balasore

Balasore: A tribal man was beaten to death over suspicion that he practised witchcraft in Bankishula village of the Nilagiri block of Odisha’s Balasore district.

The victim was identified as Shyam Singh.

According to sources, Singh had a dispute with some villagers over some issues on Monday. Singh reportedly threatened to practice black magic on some of the people in the village during the argument. Following this, irate locals beat Singh to death.

“The angry villagers killed my husband. They tied his neck to a pole with a belt, and when his tongue came out, they severed it with a sharp weapon. They beat him to death,” said the deceased’s wife Minati Singh.

Meanwhile, a local village Upendra Nayak alleged, “The villagers killed Shyam Singh brutally suspecting that he practised black magic. It is unfortunate that even now people in rural areas are still killing each other over witchcraft.”

“The administration should take initiatives to make the people aware of the evils of superstition. This is a tribal-dominated area. The officials in the block should think of ways to spread awareness first,” he added.

After receiving the information, police reached the spot and began to probe.