Bolangir: A score of locals, led by social activist Lalit Kumar Nayak from Laxminagar Pada village, gheraoed the office of Bolangir superintendent of police (SP) Tuesday demanding arrest of the persons involved in child sacrifice incident which took place in the locality recently.
The agitating locals also demanded stringent action against the accused who has been absconding since the incident.
As per sources, a five-year-old Jitu of Bolangir had gone missing around five days ago after he went out of his house to take bath in a nearby pond. Later, his body was found from the pond pointing at a possibility of drowning death.
However, the family members of the deceased and the locals claimed that the death was a case of child sacrifice and demanded an ‘impartial’ inquiry. They took to streets as police delayed to begin the probe, sources added.
In this regard the villagers met SP K Siba Rao and discussed with him. SP Siba Rao instructed SDPO Barik to convince the people to calm down.
Under pressure from locals, SDPO Barik with a team searched the house of the suspected accused.
Asked SDPO Barik, replied that the demand of the people is just a fictional creation as the post-mortem report said that Jitu died due to drowning. He added that though they searched the house of the person which the villagers have been saying as the prime accused, they found no evidence which could link him to the incident.
However, the locals remained adamant saying that the boy was sacrificed to please the sorcerer of the area.
As the villagers remained adamant, SDPO Barik said that they will be sending the viscera of the child to Mumbai for diatom test in order to clear the doubts of the people.
As per last reports, the protest had been withdrawn by the villagers after an assurance by SP Rao.