Gandaturum: An elderly man was brutally murdered at Areigudi village under Bheden police limits in Bargarh district late Wednesday night.
Police, who reached the spot after being informed, identified the deceased as Manashi Bhue (60), seized the body for post-mortem and launched an investigation.
Police sources said Wednesday a religious ritual called ‘Nagabacha’ was underway at a shrine in Areigudi village when Sushil Sahu(36) of the same village arrived and hurled abuses at the devotees thronged at the shrine. He even attacked some of them.
However, some villagers managed to send him home. But this did not help Sushil’s anger to subside. Later, he attacked Manashi, a member of the ‘Nagabacha’ ritual group, with an axe while the latter was on his way to attend nature’s call. Manashi suffered a fatal wound on his head and fell on the ground unconsciously due to profuse bleeding.
Family members rescued him and rushed him to Bheden community health centre where he gave in while undergoing treatment.
As the news broke, the deceased’s family members roughed up Sushil, and police are yet to arrest him as he is undergoing treatment at VIMSAR in Burla, it was learnt.
PNN