Purusottampur: Police have detained five persons for their alleged involvement in attacking a couple and forcing them to eat human excreta after tying them to an electric pole as they suspected the duo of practicing sorcery. The incident happened at Ranigaon village under this police limits in Ganjam district Sunday.

Some of the villagers had been keeping a watch on the couple and they turned violent Sunday. They forced their way into the couple’s house and attacked them. Later, they were tied to an electric pole.

The ghastly incident took place in front of other villagers who did not come to the aid of the distressed couple. Later police reached the spot, rescued them and admitted them to the Purusottampur community health centre (CHC).

Sources said that enmity between the villagers and the couple’s family started in 2017. Suspecting them of practicing witchcraft, then some villagers had tortured the family members July 5, 2017. Fearing danger, the entire family had shifted to Mukundpur village under Ranjhali panchayat, 10 kilometres away from their own village.

They had sought intervention of Purusottampur police and Chhatrapur Sub-Collector July 16, and July 17, 2017 respectively.

The police and administration had convened a meeting between the villagers and the family July 22, 2017 at the police station and formed a peace committee.

The husband and wife, who the villagers are suspecting of practicing sorcery, eventually had left the village and had been living at Chatmunduli village of Bhimpur panchayat for a year. Back at the village the husband’s elderly mother, sister, son and daughter-in-law were staying.

Sunday, one villager beat up the husband’s mother and sister as a hen had strayed into his residence.

On hearing the incident, the couple came from Chatmunduli village and it was when they were talking with their family members that some villagers entered their house forcibly and attacked them.

“Later we were dragged out of our house and then tied us to an electric pole. The villagers even forced us to eat excreta,” the duo alleged.

“We have registered two cases. The first one (case no-149/19) is on the basis of the compliant of the couple’s son and the second one (case no-150/19) on the basis of the villagers counter complaint. We are investigating into the case,” informed Purusottampur Inspector in Charge (IIC) Jagannath Mallick.

The villagers however, have rubbished the allegations levelled against them.

PNN