Purushottampur: An elderly couple of Pandarkhali village under this block in Ganjam district was assaulted, stripped and forced to eat human excreta and drink urine.
The helpless couple had to bear the ignominy Saturday because some villagers, who perpetrated the act, suspected the man of practising sorcery.
The victims have been identified as Sudarshan Behera and his wife Api Behera. Their son also had to face the wrath of the villagers when he went to save them, sources said.
After getting information, a police team, led by Purushottampur IIC Ajay Kumar Barik, reached the village and rescued the couple, but not before a scuffle with the villagers who did not want to let go of the “sorcerers.”
The police admitted them at Purushottampur community health centre (CHC). Later, the couple was shifted to a relative’s house while a probe was launched into the incident.
As per reports, Sudarshan, a kidney patient, was also recently afflicted by TB and was under treatment at SCB Medical Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack till about a month ago. However, the villagers suspected him of practising sorcery after several people in the village were allegedly afflicted by some unknown disease.
According to the complaint by the couple, five youths of the village had stormed into their house and ransacked it. Later, they dragged Sudarshan to the village street and after stripping him, tied him to a pole. They also assaulted his wife when she objected.
The youths then urinated on their heads and made them drink it. But they were not finished yet. One of the youths even relieved himself and the group smeared the couple’s faces with the excreta and made them eat it, too.
All along, the other villagers just watched the sordid spectacle in silence, none daring to come to the couple’s rescue. It was only much later that someone picked up enough courage to inform the police.
The locals claimed that Sudarshan was practicing sorcery and spreading diseases in the village. However, the couple refuted the allegations saying they knew nothing about sorcery.
