The alleged assault on Saturday night stemmed from a confrontation between residents of Kotakasanga and Pradhan Sahi villages, in the Balanga area of Puri, in Odesha state, India
Two teenage boys were allegedly tied to electric poles, burnt with cigarettes and forced to drink urine early as they were subjected to horrific torture by villagers. The alleged assault on Saturday night stemmed from a confrontation between residents of Kotakasanga and Pradhan Sahi villages, in the Balanga area of Puri, in Odesha state, India, during a village fair.
The two boys, both aged 16, were intercepted while passing through Kotakasanga late at night. According to initial reports, the villagers – assuming the boys were from Pradhan Sahi – accosted them despite the pair saying they were from Birat Sahi village. Unfazed by their clarification, the attackers are then accused of tying the boys to electric poles and assaulting them.
However, the reason and circumstances for the horrific assault have not yet been confirmed. One victim said: “I and my friend were thrashed by the villagers and humiliated in public view. Two men branded us with burning cigarette butts. They even forced us to drink urine,” he said.
The second victim added: “Over 50 people were present, but nobody came to our rescue. They were capturing our photos and videos on their mobile phones. We were pleading for mercy. After torturing us about 30 minutes, they released us.”
Officer in-charge of Balanga police station, Dibyaranjan Panda, said, “We have received a written complaint and detained two suspects. We are trying to identify other suspects by examining the viral video. Strict action will be taken against those responsible.”
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The father of one of the victims expressed anguish over the incident and sought strict punishment for the accused. “There was some dispute between the two villages. Later, they took the youths and thrashed them, even forced them to drink urine. We want the culprits to be punished,” he said as quoted by India Today.
The duo were rescued after their family members were alerted to the assault. They were then taken to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.
Birat Sahi villagers demanded swift action against the perpetrators. “We condemn the brutality inflicted on the two boys of our village. We will gherao the police station unless arrests are made at the earliest,” said Jyoti Prakash Parida, a Birat Sahi resident.
The incident comes after a toddler was mauled to death by a leopard in a gruesome attack as he played in his back garden in December last year.
Local reports said the 2-year-old boy was mauled to death by the big cat in Sharhama village in the disputed Indian region of North Kashmir’s Handwara area on Friday evening, local time. After finding the toddler in a pool of blood, locals raced to take the child to the health centre in Qalamabad where he was treated for his injuries.
Despite doctors’ best efforts, the child succumbed to his injuries. Local reports identified the child as Hasnain Nisar, the only child of his family. He is understood to have been playing in the garden of his home when he was attacked. Authorities confirmed the child died in the attack.
The death is one of several instances where people have been killed by wild animals in the country. Leopards have been seized following similar attacks in the border region between Pakistan and India.