Odisha police on Saturday arrested 14 people in connection with setting a 62-year-old man on fire after accusing him of practising black magic.

The incident was reported from Potripada village in the Nuapada district, which borders Chhattisgarh. The man is currently battling for his life in the hospital.

Inspector-in-charge of Sinapali police station, Rashmita Pradhan, told The Telegraph: “Villagers called the victim, Kham Singh Majhi, on Friday night. They accused him of practising black magic, which he denied. They also told him that because of his black magic, the people were suffering from fever and illness. They asked Majhi to leave the village immediately. But Majhi refused to leave the village and said he was ready to accept any punishment.”

According to the police, some youths later took him to the outskirts of the village and held a meeting.

Khariar sub-divisional police officer Arup Abhishek Behera said: “There was a heated argument between the victim and the youths. They tied him with ropes made of straw and set him on fire by taking the petrol from a bike. It was not a pre-planned decision to set him on fire as far as the investigation revealed.”

Sources said while the man was screaming and shouting in pain, the youths didn’t show any mercy. Later, he was rescued by the family members. The sources added that all those who committed the crime were distant relatives of the victim.

While the immediate family members of the man said the kangaroo court punished him, the police denied it. “It’s an act by a few youths of that village. We have apprehended the youths and started the investigation,” an officer said.

Son Hemlal said an attempt was made to burn his father alive. “The villagers had convened a meeting on Friday and threatened my father with dire consequences for performing black magic. Even though my father repeatedly denied the charges, they beat him and later set him on fire. We demand exemplary punishment against the accused.”

The state government promulgated the Odisha Prevention of Witch Hunting Act in 2013 to check witchcraft but the number of crimes relating to sorcery has not yet been stopped.