Priest sacrifices man to end coronavirus in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: A 70-year-old priest was arrested for allegedly sacrificing a 52-year-old man inside a temple in Odisha’s Cuttack to appease the goddess and end the coronavirus pandemic. Priest Sansari Ojha engaged at Brahmani Devi Temple in Bandhahuda under Narasinghpur police station allegedly beheaded a man inside the shrine on Wednesday night, said police on Thursday. Later, the priest surrendered. The deceased has been identified as Saroj Pradhan. The priest claimed he was ordered by the goddess in his dream to sacrifice a human to bring an end to the pandemic, the police said. “The priest claimed he saw Goddess in his dream and was asked to sacrifice a human’s life to bring to an end to corona­virus. Hence, to appease the goddess, he decapitated the man,” said Alok Ranjan Ray, Sub-Divisional Police Officer of Athagarh.