WITCH CRAFTING

In our society, many women are tortured and even murdered in the name of many myths and superstitions. Every year thousands of women are tortured and executed in the name of witch crafting. Witch hunting involves branding of victims especially women as witches after an observation made by ‘ojha’ or local witch doctor. After being branded a witch, they are being subjected to many inhuman tortures like beatings, burning, forced to eat human excrement, paraded naked, cutting of their hairs, raped, socially isolated and even put to death. 

The time of witch crafting began back in the 14th century across Europe, Asia and Africa. In India, witch hunting dates back hundreds of years. In many parts of the country elderly widows live with the fear of being killed as ‘witch’ when someone from her family or neighbour or livestock becomes ill or die expectedly. Our country is rapidly growing in terms of economy and but there are parts where the population is poor, educated or not often turn to superstition to cure illness or bad events. These kinds of superstitions and myths have resulted in deadly consequences. One such is witch branding or a person accused of being a ‘dayan’ and such people are tortured, burnt alive and leave them to die. Many villages in rural India the practice still continues despite local laws. According to the Times of India, between 1991 and 2010, National Crime Records Bureau report revealed that more than 1700 women were murdered for witchcraft. However, the numbers are actually higher because many such cases go unreported. Those women who were lucky enough to live after the accusations are generally forced to move to a new place without any resources to start a new life. Many such accusations are because of property disputes, diseases, local politics which later develop into allegations of witch crafting. Accusations are excuses to usurp property, money and land from women widowed or who inherit land from their father or husband. 

There are countless stories of such people branded a witch and how their lives changed after being branded as a witch. In Rajasthan, Ramkanya Sen a 60-year-old woman was beaten and locked in a tiny room for nearly three weeks. Gulabi Kumawat was beaten and buried and was left to die. In Assam, a woman was beheaded for being a witch. The 63-year-old woman was killed brutally by three men because according to the many people in the village were falling ill. Those who survived the attack have changed their lives permanently. Kesi Chandana, 40, from Rajasthan said with wet eyes and a heavy heart that ‘they didn’t kill me, but they didn’t leave me alive either’. 

Such cases of violence are countless. Witch crafting is more prevalent in 12 states of India which are Jharkhand, Bihar, Haryana, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. To prohibit such practices, many laws are being implemented. Bihar was the first state to implement the law against witch crafting in 1999 named ‘Prevention of Witch Practices Act’. Jharkhand established the ‘Anti Witchcraft Act’ in 2001. Chhattisgarh passed a bill in 2005 named ‘Chhattisgarh Tonhi Pratama Bill’. On May 8, 2015, the Assam state assembly passed Assam Witch Hunting (Prohibition, Prevention and Protection) Bill to eliminate such rising cases of violence and superstitions. Rajasthan passed a law banning witch hunting in 2015. Such laws and bills are aimed to prohibit witchcraft in our society. People must be made aware of such superstitions and myths. Education and medical care in such areas are an urgent necessity to eliminate out such inhuman practices.