Post News Network
Rayagada, Dec 18: In a gruesome incident, a man was beaten to death by his fellow villagers in broad daylight and was later burnt on the funeral pyre of his deceased father. The brutality didn’t stop here: the killers later locked up the man’s wife and three children inside their home for three months so as to suppress the matter.
However, Anduru Hikka, wife of Damodar Hikka of Kunghabadi village under Betiapada panchayat under Bissamkatak block in Rayagada district, somehow managed to flee her captors and met superintendent of police K Shiva Subramani along with her three daughters Thursday. She lodged a complaint against 13 persons of the village with police narrating her ordeal. The woman also met the district collector Monday to get justice.
Police said they would get to the bottom of this shocking incident and would take stringent action against the accused.
According to the complainant, some of the villagers had killed one of her husband’s buffaloes and consumed its meat some months back. Damodar confronted the miscreants over the issue, leading to tension flaring between them. Since then, the villagers have been nursing a grudge against our family, Anduru said in her complaint.
Meanwhile, Damodar’s father Ruma died September 26. As the villagers were not on good terms with Damodar, they refused to attend the funeral. However, they changed their minds after Damodar instantly paid a penalty of Rs 3,000 imposed on him. The villagers cremated the old man and consumed liquor as part of tribal traditions.
Meanwhile, some of Damodar’s cousins who were harbouring a grudge against him saw an opportunity to settle scores once and for all. They attacked Damodar on a village road with the help of some villagers in connection with past enmity over a land dispute. Damodar attempted to flee but was brutally beaten to death. Later, they locked Damodar’s family in a room and cremated Damodar’s body on his father’s pyre. They threatened Anduru that her house would be torched and her children would meet the same fate as Damodar if she went to the police.
After spending three months under the vigilant eyes of the villagers, Anduru on the pretext of visiting a relative’s house managed to flee and go to the police.
