Sambaru Makdami, a 16 year old boy from Kenduguda village in Malkangiri district was killed brutally by a group of villagers who had sworn to teach Christians a lesson.
The village of 210 families has only three Christian families and all of them have been facing problems for a long time.
Sambaru and his cousin brother Unga and one more boy of around 18 years of age were targeted but Unga and the other boy were able to save their lives by escaping the clutches of the killers.
Sambaru was a student of class 8 and used to study in a school and live in a hostel away from his home. He was back in his house because of the coronavirus lockdown and since the pastor could not visit the village, Sambaru was leading worship for the Christian families there.
The killers killed him brutally smashing his face with a large rock and through multiple stab wounds. They disposed off his body in the jungle where it was later found by the police when they went for its search along with his family and other Christian leaders who came to the village after hearing the news.
The police has arrested 6 people but have given the story a twist saying that Sambaru was killed because the villagers suspected he did witchcraft. The pastor and his family deny this allegation and say that he was killed because he was a Christian. The leaders also say that elements from the BJP are also involved in this case.
A legal team from Human Rights Law Network is likely to look into the case soon.
