Sonepur: A mentally-challenged man, identified as Prakash Sevak, 42, was purportedly crushed to death for uprooting a tulsi (holy basil) plant at Gulapada village in Odisha’s Sonepur district on Monday.
The deceased had reportedly uprooted a tulsi plant of his relative Pandu Behera (35).
Soon after, an enraged Pandu visited Prakash and threatened to kill him.
Later in the evening, Pandu went to a nearby river where Prakash was bathing and attacked the victim with bricks and stones. The attack left Prakash critically injured.
Subsequently, Pandu carried profusely bleeding Prakash on his two-wheeler and dumped him in front of his house.
Prakash’s family members rushed him to nearby Binika Hospital. After primary treatment, he was shifted to VIMSAR in Burla. However, he succumbed to injuries while undergoing treatment there.
The police have registered a case on the basis of a complaint lodged by the deceased’s mother and detained the accused for questioning.