Odisha man beaten to death, body burnt over witchcraft suspicion: Police

Police said some villagers of Merama came to Malik’s house on the hillock around 2am and took him away

A 41-year-old man in Odisha’s Gajapati district was allegedly beaten to death by villagers and his body was burnt after being taken from his home over suspicion that he practised witchcraft, police said on Monday.

Gajapati superintendent of police PS Meena said the victim Ramachandra Malik who was living with his family on a hill in Merama village for several years after villagers suspected him of practising sorcery was allegedly beaten to death and then burnt.

“Officials from Mohana police station have traced the spot where the body was allegedly burnt and recovered bones and ashes. In this connection we have detained five persons and interrogating them,” Meena said.

Police said some villagers of Merama came to Malik’s house on the hillock around 2am and took him away on the pretext of discussing some work.

“His wife Kamalabati who was present at home alleged that the villagers assaulted and killed him after a village meeting and took his body to a nearby forest area, where they set it on fire. Kamalabati, who tried to intervene, was also allegedly assaulted and sustained injuries,” officer said.

Malik’s daughter Moina said that the family was living on the hill because of the villagers’ suspicion against her father. “My father did not practice any witchcraft as is being alleged,” she said.

The incident comes amid the Odisha government’s move to frame the State Policy for Witch-Hunting (Prevention, Protection and Prosecution), 2026.

The proposed policy seeks stronger preventive measures, immediate rescue of victims and faster legal proceedings in witch-hunting cases, particularly in rural and tribal areas.

It also envisages special courts and trained prosecutors for time-bound trials, besides round-the-clock response mechanisms, systematic tracking of cases and action against officials who fail to register complaints or properly investigate such incidents.

Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More