Bhubaneswar: In a bizarre incident, two drunk men allegedly ate the flesh of a half-burnt dead body during cremation in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district, police said on Wednesday.
The shocking incident took place at the tribal village Bandhasahi under Badasahi police limits in the district on Tuesday. Police detained the two drunken persons, identified as Sundar Mohan Singh (58) and Narendra Singh (25) of Dantuni village.
According to locals, Madhusmita Singh (25), a native of Bandhasahi village, succumbed to her illness at a hospital. After conducting the post-mortem, the body was handed over to her family members. Madhusmita’s family members took the body to the cremation ground to conduct the last rites.
During cremation, two drunken men, who were present there, cut down a part of the half-burnt body into three pieces for speedy disposal. They kept one piece with them and others were set on fire, said Laba Singh, uncle of Madhusmita.
“When I asked what you will do with the flesh, Sundar said you don’t know about witchcraft. After some time, though I was opposing, he started eating the half-burnt flesh,” Laba said. Sundar also allegedly gave a piece of the human meat to Narendra.
The villagers then thrashed the duo for the inhuman act and informed the local police about the incident. Later, the police reached the village and detained the duo, and started an investigation.
Both Sunder and Narendra admitted the wrongdoing and said that they consumed the flesh in an inebriated condition.
