A man in Odisha's Gajapati district was allegedly killed and buried by a group of villagers on suspicion of practicing witchcraft. Police have detained eight people in connection with the incident.

The deceased, identified as Karunakar Dalai, was reportedly working as an unlicensed doctor in Kusumpur village, under the Mohana police limits. The incident occurred on the night of July 28, but came to light on Wednesday, August 6, after Karunakar's sister-in-law, Sabita, filed a complaint at the Mohana police station.

According to Sabita, some villagers had called Karunakar around 6 pm on July 28 and took him to a meeting at the anganwadi kendra, after which he disappeared. Sabita stated that upon inquiry, she learned that the villagers had beaten him.

Gajapati SP Jatindra Kumar Panda stated that preliminary investigations revealed Karunakar was prescribing ayurvedic-like medicines to villagers. About two weeks prior to his death, Karunakar had given medicine to a 12-year-old boy who had been bitten by a dog; the boy subsequently died. Panda stated that, angered by the boy's death and other similar recent incidents, a group of 10 to 12 people beat Karunakar to death and buried his body in a nearby jungle. The villagers were aware of the incident but did not report it. Police recovered Karunakar's body from a forest.

In a separate incident in the same district, another man was killed on suspicion of witchcraft. Gopal Mallick, 35, was allegedly murdered by villagers in Malasapadar village, also under the Mohana police station limits. The villagers suspected Mallick of practicing witchcraft after a middle-aged woman died in mysterious circumstances about two weeks prior.

Fearing an attack, Mallick and his family had moved to his father-in-law's home in Ganjam district, leaving his sister-in-law to care for his livestock. On Saturday, when Mallick returned to take his animals, he was allegedly kidnapped by a group of villagers. Police said the villagers confined and assaulted him, despite his sister-in-law's protests, before taking him near the Harabhangi dam, where they allegedly strangled him to death and mutilated his body. His body was then dumped in the reservoir.

Mallick's sister-in-law, Sita Mallick, filed a police report. Police have detained 14 villagers for interrogation. Preliminary investigations indicated that the villagers had previously threatened Mallick, suspecting him of witchcraft.

These incidents highlight the persistence of superstition and the dangers of witch hunting in certain parts of Odisha, despite the existence of laws and awareness campaigns aimed at preventing such practices.