Witch hunting in assam pdf merge

National awardwinning assamese film, ishu, starts a new. The lady was brutally beaten with sticks by two youth who have been identified as raju telenga and thomas suren. Institutionalization of witch hunting in bodo society of. The assam witch hunting prohibition, prevention and protection bill, 2015 is a landmark bill to curb the menace of witchhunting. The land of black magic is now a land of bloodshed in the name of black magic, that too in the 21 st century. Witch hunting on the rise across several indian states. However, the bill is pending for presidents assent. However, witch hunts also helped shape administrative structures and they provoked political tensions. It was prepared in lines with the spirit of universal declaration of human rights, crimes in witch hunting cases cause gross violation. Oct 27, 20 on ooctober 2, an 18yearold youth and a woman visiting shikarigaon in assam s majuli island declared that 35 people living in the village were witches.

In fact, incidents of witch hunt in assam are immensely widespread in recent times. In august 2015, the assam witchhunting prohibition, prevention and protection bill was passed, retaining the gender neutral framing of witchhunting as in earlier laws, but going beyond the other state laws by increasing the number of offences, outlining the course of action for rescue. Witchhunting toll now up to 6 in assam indian express. More than 500 people have been killed and 116 official cases of witch killing have been registered since 2001 in assam. Quick police action prevents witchhunting incident in.

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. Conviction rates in witchhunting cases in assam and meghalaya are miserably low. The bodos are influential tribal social group in assam, where the witch hunting has become much tenacious last few decades. The incident took place on july 18 at dekadamra the villagers assembled at a public place and flogged rabiram narzary alleging witch craft. Witchhunting cases on the rise in assam guwahati news. 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. 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. President ram nath kovinds assent to the bill against witch hunting that the assam assembly passed three years ago has rejuvenated the campaign of a. Witchcraft and witchhunting have been in practice in assam for years. 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. 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 stealthily sucked innocent souls, away from the media glare. 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.

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. Two women labelled as witches were buried alive, held. Though jharkhand is leading in the number of cases reported for witchhunting, 11 other states including madhya pradesh, rajasthan, andhra pradesh, gujarat, maharashtra, assam and bihar. 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. It is one of the first organizations in the ner to combine. Assam assembly passes bill to end witchhunting the hindu. Outsiders were barred entry, while the administration kept away. The classical period of witch hunts in europe and north america falls into the early modern period or about 1480 to 1750, spanning the upheavals of the reformation and the thirty years war, resulting in an estimated 40,000 to 60,000 executions.

The stereotypic, mythical witch appeared as the result of an. Everything you want to know about laws which prevent witch. For 22 days, the 35 were kept confined to the village and subjected to a public hearing, humiliation and purification. The assam witch hunting prohibition, prevention and protection.

The research paper will find out the actual factors for the contagious witch hunting which has been prevailing as an institutionalization in bodo society. She has been identified as budhiyari rajput of gotong village in doomdooma. Witch hunting in assam capital of black magic to national shame. It emanated in the morigaon district of assam which is now infamously known as the indian capital of black magic. A regressive and dangerous practice threatens freedom and progress. Hunting down witches in northeast india india al jazeera. An interview with archana bhattacharjee about birubala rabhas work march 21, 2015. The assam witch hunting prohibition, prevention and protection bill, introduced in the state assembly on monday, mandates a jail term of between three and seven years for branding any person a. 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 in assam is just deeprooted superstition and.

The making and hunting of witches in assam magzter. Remarkably, the way, it is practiced varies from area to area within the state. Although over 450 arrests have been made, there hasnt been a single conviction. Mar 19, 2015 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. Explore witch hunting profile at times of india for photos, videos and latest news of witch hunting. India has no federal laws that deal with witch hunting, though several other states passed such legislation long before assam. People from farflung areas would come here to learn witchcraft. Aug 14, 2015 assam state legislature has passed assam witch hunting prohibition, prevention and protection bill, 2015. 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. Witch hunting practices of assam force one to look more critically at some traditional practices that have been fostered by ethnification.

Jyoti prasad saikia professor dibrugarh university, assam, india abstract this study tries to explore the injustice faced by the victims of the cruel witch hunting. The law will now punish those who practise witch hunting. Strategising alternative media for women empowerment. Impact of witch crafts among the adivashi community in assam. 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. Assams antiwitch hunting bill gets presidents nod india news. Witch hunting is a horrendous superstitious practice prevalent in rural india. In another incident of witch hunting in the state, a lady was beaten to death by two youth in doomdooma. How women in assam are raped and banished as witches to. In assam the cases relating to witch hunting are totally different from the actual connotation.

As my personal witness claims, the cases of south assam are slightly different from those of other areas. Property disputes, land rights of women and gender conflicts are some of the other reasons. Assam s debjani bora, who has won gold at the national level for her javelin throws, was targeted as a witch in 2014 in the state and assaulted, of all the places, in a community prayer hall. Politics, statebuilding, and witchhunting oxford handbooks. Aug 14, 2015 assam assembly passes bill to end witch hunting. One womans tireless crusade against witchhunting in assam. Torture volume 02 number 04 by torture magazine issuu.

The process has also sparked criticism of witch hunts against assam s ethnic minorities. Kovind clears assam bill against witchhunt the hindu. It takes up the cases of witch hunting in assam with special reference to those of thakurbila village of goalpara district. 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. 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.

Birubalas efforts to cull witchhunting were not without adversity. Debjanis case puts into question one of the biggest myths around witch hunting, that it takes place only due to superstition, ignorance and lack of education in farflung remote villages, and among poor. Saikia has fought for an anti witch hunting act in assam since 2010. President has given nod to assam s anti witch hunting bill. Abuse of women, superstition and murder collide in india. 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. 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. Even as the state boasts of making progress on the economic and other fronts, there also many cases of witch hunting and other superstitious practices. More than 2,500 people have died because failed development in villages heightens gender inequality and. Over 1,700 women killed in assam due to rape, dowry, witch. Apr 22, 2011 with the toll in the recent spate of killings in kokrajhar district in the name of witch hunting rising to six in a span of seven days, ngos and womens groups have described the incidents as extreme form of violence and asked the government to make urgent intervention. Pdf witch hunting or witch branding are the social menace, which are.

The practice of witch hunting is widespread in tribal communities. 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. 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 assam government has launched 181sakhi, a tollfree helpline number for women, legislator chandra. 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. The proactive action by kokrajhar district police saved the life of a witch hunting victim 32yearold, jhakaria borgoyari of lakriguri village under gossaigaon police station in kokrajhar district.

Jhakaria, who is the son of gobren borgoyari of lakriguri village, had a land boundary dispute with one 50yearold som hasda alias biji, son of. Witchhunting still a normal occurence in india, one. In 2016, india celebrated the olympic medals brought home by pv sindhu and sakshi malik. Mar 03, 2017 while not the only one, assam is one state where witch hunting cases have been taking place for years. Most of the recent cases have taken place in the areas populated by the tea garden labourers, she said. 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 the murder of socalled witches. Assam is the land of both tribal and nontribal communities.

Major reasons behind its existence with special reference to assam furzee kashyap doctoral scholar dibrugarh university, assam, india dr. This law was prepared in order to reign in the rising incidents of witch hunting cases across the state. The voice of debojani borah comes from the countryside of assam, a stronghold of superstitious beliefs. Assam, like many other parts across the country, often witnesses deaths, injuries and miseries resulting from witch hunting, an odious crime. Indeed, the witch trials helped to shape the map of europe. Nov 02, 2016 its 2016, and the practice of witchhunting is still prevalent in assam. Witch hunting as motive has led to 2,097 murders between 2000 and 2012363 of them in jharkhand, show national records. At a time when assam is witnessing some unfortunate incidents of lynching because of superstitions, angeekar films has embarked upon a journey to create awareness against deadly menace of witch hunting by screening its feature film aei maatite at different rural places. In india, witch hunting dates back hundreds of years. Social mobilization against witchhunting in assam witchhunting is a violation of human rights particularly in the context of women in the state.

Taking note of the prevalence of the inhuman and barbaric practice of witch hunting in assam and other northeast states, the gauhati high court has observed that branding of. Witch hunting is now one of the social stigmas of assam. Another woman victimised of witch hunting in assam. Witch hunting in assam is supposedly more common among the rabha, hajong, mishing, bodo and other tribal groups. 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. Over 1,700 women killed in assam due to rape, dowry, witch hunting from 2006 to 2018. Of the 93 reported cases of witchhunting between 2010 and 2015, chargesheets were filed only in 60 cases. A draft version of the list published last year had four million people excluded. The antiwitchhunt draft bill prepared by the assam government, which proposes punishment from three years to life imprisonment, is the strictest in the country so far.

Witch hunting is more prevalent in 12 states of india which are situated in like jharkhand, bihar, haryana, west bengal, madhya pradesh, maharashtra, gujarat, orissa, chhattisgarh, assam, rajasthan and u. Jul 25, 2017 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. Assam witch hunting prohibition, prevention and protection. Assam passes witch hunting prohibition bill huffpost india.