Adivasi man beaten to death over suspicion of performing witchcraft

In a ghastly incident of superstitious beliefs going to the extreme, a 35-year-old Gutti Koya Adivasi man was beaten to death allegedly by some members of his own community at Busarai village in Allapalli mandal of Bhadradri Kothagudem district on Wednesday night.

According to sources, the deceased was identified as Madakam Bheeda alias Raju of Busrai, a remote village inhabited by migrant Adivasis of Gutti Koya tribe. The horrific incident came to light on Thursday with the recovery of his body on the fringes of the forests.

Sources added that Bheeda was branded as a “sorcerer” and killed by the assailants on charges of performing “witchcraft” on a local woman and allegedly causing her death. The gruesome killing brought the spotlight back on the reported prevalence of irrational beliefs in the remote tribal pockets of the district.

The Allapalli police have registered a case and are on the lookout for the assailants.