Eyewitness in murder case beaten to death after court appearance in Odisha

A disturbing incident emerged on Tuesday from Mayurbhanj district, where a young man was allegedly beaten to death for testifying in court as an eyewitness in a murder case. The incident occurred in Godigaon under Khunta police limits. The deceased youth has been identified as Kanhu Madhei.

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According to sources, in November last year, villagers in Dhanghera had caught Bapi Kolhar and Kanhu Madhei allegedly attempting to steal a gas cylinder. Both were assaulted by locals, during which Bapi Kolhar died. Police had subsequently arrested 11 accused in connection with the mob assault and also jailed Kanhu in the alleged theft case. He was released on bail recently.

Kanhu, the sole eyewitness in Bapi Kolhar’s murder case, had appeared in court to testify. Following his appearance, he allegedly had an altercation with relatives of the accused. Later, five youths allegedly chased and brutally assaulted him in the village, leading to his untimely death. CCTV visuals of the attack have also surfaced.

“Last night, an FIR was filed by Sasidhar Madhei from Godigaon village, stating that his son, Kanhu Madhei, had been murdered. We arrived at the scene and found the body near Pasupati Patra’s house. We have recovered the body. Based on CCTV footage, we have identified and detained the prime accused, Dularam Murmu from Bisipur, at the police station,” Khunta Police Station IIC, Panchanan Mohanty, said.

“The background of this incident dates back to last November, when a case was registered at Udala police station regarding a gas cylinder theft. In that case, an accused was beaten to death in Bisipur village. Kanhu Madhei was an eyewitness to that murder. The people of Bisipur wanted him to testify in their favour, leading to a dispute between Kanhu and the villagers. This ongoing dispute resulted in an altercation yesterday, following which the murder occurred,” the IIC Mohanty stated.

Khunta Police have detained a suspect while continuing efforts to apprehend the remaining accused involved in the fatal assault. A detailed probe is underway.

Reported By: Abhijit Biswal