The body has been removed from the Rameswar Anandatma Ashram and police have detained godman Alok Bisoi, 50, said rural SP Gurudas Kundu.
He said the body of Ashok Patra (35), resident of nearby Chaapada, was found in the Ashram with over 90 per cent burn injuries.
Soon after the news spread about the death of Patra, hundreds of villagers rushed to the Ashram in the afternoon and ransacked it. The Police said the irate mob also torched the properties of the Ashram and tried to trace the godman.
The villagers had demanded immediate arrest of Bisoi for his alleged role in the death of the man.
The district SP along with five platoons of police was now camping at the spot after restoring normalcy.
Tension continued to prevail in the area even as the villagers agreed to take the body for cremation after intervention of district-level officials.