Like many adventures of the heart and mind, this one began with a casual conversation an exchange of greetings on facebook with a friend. According to the assam parliamentary affairs minister rockybul hussain, at least 77 persons were killed and 60 others were injured in witch hunting incidents across assam since 2010, and 35 of them were women. Pdf icon the assam witch huntingprohibition prevention and protection act. Two women pushed into well, buried alive two women were allegedly pushed into a well by three brothers and buried alive by covering it with mud and earth in assam. Unlike other parts of assam, witch hunting is not so frequent in south assam, though witchcraft is prevalent there too. Recurring incidents of killings in the name of witch hunting have alarmingly challenged the laws and various antiwitch hunting programmes. In the last five years, assam witnessed more than 400 cases of witch hunting. On may 8, 2015, the assam state assembly unanimously passed assam witch hunting prohibition, prevention and protection bill, in a bid to eliminate rising cases of superstition leading to.
Just ask ramkanya devi, 80, who still lives in fear three months after a. Assam woman allegedly branded witch, punished by villagers. A movement has began in assam, a state in the eastern part of india to bring back smiles to thousands of victims of the evilpractice of witchhunting in the state. Here in the present work, however, a survey has been made in. It is high time that ngos, government bodies as well as local organizations come forwarded to make people aware of such inhuman acts and jump in action right away instead of holding symbolic protests and demands. National awardwinning assamese film, ishu, starts a new. Bhilwara, india going on a witch hunt is a custom many in india observe and for those hunted it can be deadly. While the national media clamored to satiate indias hunger for a juicy murder story with the likes of sheena bora case, the heinous practice of witchhunting. Hunting down witches in northeast india india al jazeera. Pdf assam, like many other parts across the country, often witnesses deaths, injuries, and miseries resulting from witch hunting, an atrocious. Witch hunting on the rise across several indian states. An interview with archana bhattacharjee about birubala rabhas work march 21, 2015. The research paper will find out the actual factors for the contagious witch hunting which has been prevailing as an institutionalization in bodo society.
The voice of debojani borah comes from the countryside of assam, a stronghold of superstitious beliefs. In another incident of witch hunting in the state, a lady was beaten to death by two youth in doomdooma. Assam is requested to send its atr to the commission at the earliest. Gujarat, maharashtra, assam and bihar are recognised as areas where witch hunts are rampant even today. Outsiders were barred entry, while the administration kept away. The new york times video that narrates the story of jamila rabha mentions that nearly 2,000 persons have been killed in india in the last 15 years in cases of witch hunting and most of the victims were women. Increasing incidents of witchhunting have caused concern in assam with director general of police shankar baruah recently saying that the department will join hands with state womens commission. National awardwinning assamese film, ishu, starts a new conversation on witchhuntingbut from a childs perspective utpal borpujari on his national awardwinning film ishu, witchhunting and the unusual reverse trend where theatre holds more currency than cinema in assam. An incident has come to light where two women were buried alive in naharbari, nagaon district in assam on monday night after they were declared as witches. Witchhunting still a normal occurence in india, one person killed every three days. Major reasons behind its existence with special reference to assam furzee kashyap doctoral scholar dibrugarh university, assam, india dr. The prevention of witchhunting practices act 2001, jharkhand also the prevention of witch daain practices act, 1999. Assams new anti witchhunting law finally gets the presidents nod but it will take grassroots awareness to make a difference and a coalition.
The fact that witchhunting or witchburning has been making headlines of all local newspapers of assam for quite some time, every now and then, is not only disturbing but also alarming. Birubala rabha, the crusader against witchhunting in assam who is also the leader of the ngo, told firstpost that nearly 20 cases of witch hunting has been reported over the last two years. The land of black magic is now a land of bloodshed in the name of black magic, that too in the 21 st century. The practice of witchhunting is widespread in tribal communities. The above table of analysis on witch hunting by intellectuals on causes shows that, 12. For 22 days, the 35 were kept confined to the village and subjected to a public hearing, humiliation and purification. Assam passes witch hunting prohibition bill huffpost india. Witchhunting in assam is rampant and while, in other parts of india, states like jharkhand, chhattisgarh, bihar, maharashtra and rajasthan have already criminalised the practice, the assam law is a necessary, albeit delayed, provision. Jyoti prasad saikia professor dibrugarh university, assam, india abstract this study tries to explore the injustice faced by. A witchhunting survivor crusades to save assamese women since the 1980s, birubala has been running an organisation called mission birubala which tours different parts of the state throughout the. Latest and breaking news on witch hunting cases on the rise in assam. Accusations of black magic causing disease and death have led to dozens of deaths during mob attacks in assam state. Witchhunting still a normal occurence in india, one. Major reasons behind its existence with special reference to assam.
Witchhunting practices of assam force one to look more critically at some traditional practices that have been fostered by ethnification. Nhrc seeks actiontaken report on assam witchhunting. A witchhunting survivor takes up crusade to save assamese women share, save, comment file photo of the bodies of five women who were killed by the villagers of mander block of jharkhand over. The lady was brutally beaten with sticks by two youth who have been identified. Witchhunting cases on the rise in assam guwahati news. This process of ethnification and the discourse of indigeneity have granted legitimacy to the inequalities that were very often embedded in traditional customs and practices. Assam assembly passes bill to end witchhunting the hindu. Assam, like many other parts across the country, often witnesses deaths, injuries and miseries resulting from witch hunting, an odious crime. It was prepared in lines with the spirit of universal declaration of human rights, crimes in witch hunting cases cause gross violation of basic human rights. The assam witch huntingprohibition, prevention and protection. The article intends to understand the phenomenon of witch hunting among the rabha community of goalpara district in assam.
Its 2016, and the practice of witchhunting is still prevalent in assam. The journey basically started by a septuagenarian lady with only primary education named birubala rabha. Assam state legislature has passed assam witch hunting prohibition, prevention and protection bill, 2015 this law was prepared in order to reign in the rising incidents of witch hunting cases across the state. Witchhunting is a horrendous superstitious practice prevalent in rural india. More than 500 people have been killed and 116 official cases of witch killing have been registered since 2001 in assam. Institutionalization of witch hunting in bodo society of. Most of the recent cases have taken place in the areas populated by the tea garden labourers, she said. As per a report by the assam government, at least 93 cases of witchhunting have been reported in various police stations of assam between 2010 and 2015. She has been identified as budhiyari rajput of gotong village in doomdooma. In fact, the practice of witch hunts has been seen in a wide distribution of geographically and culturally separated societies across the globe. Witch hunting is not just the result of superstition or deeprooted beliefs. The adivasis working in the tea estates of assam are mostly santhals, mundas and oraon kuruk who were brought from faroff areas in bihar, west bengal, odisha and jharkhand which are ruled by the customary laws, and where the village chief acts as the judiciary.
A human rights issue the assam tribune online available at. These practices persist in india not only due to the social sanctions given to them but also because the police do not treat these crimes equivalent to murders. In assam the cases relating to witch hunting are totally different from the actual connotation. In 2016, india celebrated the olympic medals brought home by pv sindhu and sakshi malik. However, the bill is pending for presidents assent. The social evil of witch hunting has been a recurring problem in assam, so much so that the state assembly unanimously passed the assam witch hunting prohibition, prevention and protection bill 2015, following years of sustained campaign by civil society organisations and an intervention by the gauhati high court. One womans tireless crusade against witchhunting in assam. A middleaged woman was allegedly branded a witch and attacked in her village on the outskirts of guwahati in assam last week.
Pdf witch hunting or witch branding are the social menace, which are very much prevalent in the state of assam. It came to the notice of the commission that a certain individual had approached the state authorities, posing as a representative of the nhrc. Conviction rates in witchhunting cases in assam and meghalaya are miserably low. While not the only one, assam is one state where witchhunting cases have been taking place for years. On ooctober 2, an 18yearold youth and a woman visiting shikarigaon in assams majuli island declared that 35 people living in the village were witches.
The law will now punish those who practise witchhunting. Once accused of practising witchcraft, the hapless woman is either raped and banished or killed to save the village from her spells and black magic. Violence against women with special reference to witch hunting in the state of assam. Witchhunting in assam is supposedly more common among the. A regressive and dangerous practice threatens freedom and progress. The practice of witchhunting in assam thakurbilla village is a case in point as the sources reveal, witch hunting is prevalent in the remote areas of kokrajhar, bongaigaon, baksa, goalpara, darrang, sonitpur, tinsukia, and dhemaji etc. Of the 93 reported cases of witchhunting between 2010 and 2015, chargesheets were filed only in 60 cases. Property disputes, land rights of women and gender conflicts are some of the other reasons. Impact of witch crafts among the adivashi community in.
The complainant pointed out that a couple were also killed in habrubeel village in the district on january 1 allegedly in the name of witchhunting. The assam state assembly on thursday unanimously passed assam witch hunting prohibition, prevention and protection bill, 2015 in a bid to eliminate rising cases of superstition leading to murder. Witch hunting is now one of the social stigmas of assam. In fact, incidents of witch hunt in assam are immensely widespread in recent times. In the past decades, witchhunts might have reached an alltime high in subsaharan africa with tenthousands killed and far more exiled or harrassed in other ways. Although over 450 arrests have been made, there hasnt been a single conviction. The incident took place on july 18 at dekadamra the villagers assembled at a public place and flogged rabiram narzary alleging witch craft. President has given nod to assams antiwitch hunting bill. Even as the state boasts of making progress on the economic and other fronts, there also many cases of witchhunting and other superstitious practices. How women in assam are raped and banished as witches to. A witchhunting survivor takes up crusade to save assamese. Like cafe dissensus on facebook follow cafe dissensus on twitter. Witchhunting in assam is just deeprooted superstition. The practice of witch craft or sorcery has been there in various parts of the world since antiquity and interestingly until 1970s witch trials were legal in most of todays developed countries.
Modern witchhunts an introduction relief for witch. Violence against women with special reference to witch hunting in. A witchhunting survivor crusades to save assamese women. Birubalas efforts to cull witchhunting were not without adversity.
After a brief gap, yet another witch hunting incident has triggered shock and anger in koktajhar where a section of local residents in a remote hamlet assaulted a person who is now undergoing treatment at a hospital. The assam witch hunting prohibition, prevention and protection bill, 2015 is a landmark bill to curb the menace of witchhunting. As shown in witch hunt diaries, a documentary film by channel news asias investigative series undercover asia tracing this practice in assam, another side of the problem is that often a group of peoples vested interests use superstition to instigate violence. Assam witch hunting prohibition, prevention and protection bill, 2015 has been passed by the assam state assembly that any person making any offence under the act as nonbailable, cognizable and noncompoundable to eliminate rising cases of superstition leading to murder of socalled witches.
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