Angul: After the body of a 14-year-old kid who had been missing since July 23 was discovered hanging from a tree in the Barini forest on Friday, tension erupted in Subarnapur village, which is under Kiakata police limits on Friday.
A police van was set on fire by furious villagers who blamed a slow investigation. Since the little boy’s hands and limbs had been severed, they speculate that Sanjeev Biswal may have been killed as a human sacrifice.
Sources claim that on July 23, when the boy became ill while visiting a relative there, his mother, Basanti Biswal, took him to the Goddess Mangala temple in Tusar village, Angul, to perform certain rituals.
After completing the ceremonies in the evening, the mother and son pair went to sleep on the temple grounds. But the following morning, the youngster was reported missing.
Family members started looking desperately for him, but in vain. On July 24, Basanti reported a missing person to Kiakata police.
The people, outraged by the occurrence, blocked the Athmallik-Kiakata route and demanded that the murderers get exemplary punishment. They also set afire a police vehicle, which arrived at the scene after being notified. Police have so far detained one person in connection with this.