Berhampur: A man was subjected to inhuman torture allegedly for practising sorcery in Ganjam district on Sunday. This comes a day after a man was lynched by a mob over similar allegations in Daringbadi area of Kandhamal district.

"Villagers of Naikanipalli in Kodala police station area tied seventy-year-old Bhaskar Swain to a pole on a village road and beat him up severely with a wooden plank. The villagers also broke two of his teeth and forced him to eat human excreta," said a highly-placed source in the police.

Swain suffered critical injuries on his head due to the attack. The police swung into action after hearing the news and rescued him. However, his attackers managed to escape.

Police have launched a manhunt to nab the accused after Swain lodged a complaint in Kodala police station on Saturday.

Kodala police station inspector in charge Anil Mahanty admitted the incident.

"Some young girls of the village were behaving abnormally. When some villagers walked through the road in front of my house along with some girls and I looked at them, they became angry. They dragged me from the balcony of my house and tortured me," Bhaskar said in his complaint, pleading innocence.

Villagers of Badabanga under Daringbadi police stations in Kandhamal district allegedly killed Subash Chandra Majhi (40) by thrashing him over suspicion of practising witchcraft on Friday. Majhi's body was later burnt.

The police recovered the charred body of Majhi from the nearby forest and sent it for autopsy soon after his widow Subhasini lodged a complaint with on Friday (December 29).

"Though 80 per cent of the body was charred by the time the police reached the spot, the skull has been recovered. Seven persons have been detained in connection with the case," Daringbadi police station inspector in charge Srikant Khamari said.

Baliguda sub-divisional police officer Bibekananda Sarma also visited the spot.

"Budu Pradhan of the village branded Majhi of sorcery after his father Manoj Pradhan died a week ago. A group of people came to our house wielding lathi when Majhi's wife and two children were present. They dragged Majhi from the house to the balcony and attacked him brutally. He died on the spot. Then they took Majhi's body to a nearby forest and set it on fire," said Subhasini.