Ramakanta Biswas

Bolangir: Superstitions continue to rule the roost in several parts of Odisha with the evil practice of human sacrifice coming to fore in Bolangir district.

The naked body of a man identified as Bhujabal Parabhuye was recovered yesterday from an abandoned well near Shyamakali temple in Salepada under Kantabanji Police limits of the district. It is alleged that Bhujabal who hailed from Mandol village was the disciple of one Chouban Baba alias Chouban Kishore Majhi who sacrificed him to appease goddess Kali.

According to sources, Chouban Baba of Salepada village had called Bhujabal to perform puja at the temple. Bhujabal did not return home after the rituals and his body was recovered from the well.

The family members of Bhujabal alleged that he was offered to goddess Kali as human sacrifice by his guru as his tongue was severed. They lodged a complaint with the police in this regard. Based on the complaint the police questioned Chouban Baba and the priest of the temple, Parshuram Majhi.

"I dropped my father at Chouban Baba ashram on Monday. He had asked me to pick him up from the ashram the next day. I called him up on Tuesday morning and found his mobile switched off. When I reached the ashram and asked Chouban Baba, he told me that my father had left for home last night," Dilip, son of the deceased said.

"We believe that Chouban Baba with the help of his followers sacrificed my father. The post-mortem report also revealed that his tongue was severed," he added.

However, the accused baba has refuted the allegations. "Someone might have murdered him and dumped his body in the well. I suspect that some of my rivals committed the crime to defame me and implicate me in the case. I will surrender before the police," he added.

Meanwhile, Bolangir SP today informed that there is no evidence of human sacrifice from preliminary investigations and the details will be known after the probe is complete.

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