Man gets life term for double murder

Rourkela: The court of Additional District Judge (2) here sentenced a man to life imprisonment after convicting him in a 2015 double murder case which had created a lot of hue and cry in the area. Declaring his verdict in the case, the judge sentenced the accused Raju Panna to life imprisonment. The additional district judge also slapped a fine of Rs 5,000 on Panna, apart from the punishment. In default, Panna has to undergo an additional year of imprisonment, the judge observed while delivering the order Public Prosecutor Kailash Pradhan, who was pleading the case, informed that the crime took place June 7, 2015. Raju was arrested for the murder of an elderly couple, who were his neighbours, at Balughat area under Brahmanitarang police limits with a sharp weapon over suspicion of practicing witchcraft and sorcery on his family members. The victims were identified as Punia Panna and her husband Kalia Panna in the area. Sundargarh has a long history of crimes against suspected witchcraft and it was the case of Nuni, a tribal lady, who was made to run naked in the village road and eat her excreta, which had drawn national attention. Even members of the National Human Rights Commission and National Commission for Women had rushed to the village. Raju’s case was just another chapter in this infamous history.