In a suspected case of witch hunt in Rameyapalli village under Sriramchandrapur Panchayat in Ganjam district, at least one person was killed and two others sustained grievous injuries allegedly after being thrashed by locals on suspicion of practicing witchcraft.
The deceased has been identified as N Venkat Raman while the two injured are P Bhimaraju Reddy and P Dhabaleshwar Reddy. As per reports, Bhimaraju of Rameyapalli village had called Venkat Raman and Dhabaleshwar to his house for conduct of some rituals. While the three were conducting rituals, a few villagers barged into the house and started thrashing them, suspecting them of practicing sorcery.
The trio was rushed to Berhampur Hospital for treatment; however, Venkat succumbed to his injuries while the other two are still undergoing treatment at the hospital. As per sources, more than 30 people of the village were involved in the attack. The relatives of the deceased contacted the police and asked for a thorough investigation into the matter.