Brutal 'Witch-hunting' Practice Continues in India | Superstition | OneIndia News - video Dailymotion

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In India, the practice of witch-hunting continues to blight some regions. Its mostly women who are sometimes labelled as witches and left isolated or facing violence at the hands of their communities. There are laws to stop it, but as DW Correspondent Manira Chaudhary reports, instances still occur regularly.                     ~HT.178~ED.194~

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00:00 Shri Moti frequently visits this tree with her son to offer prayers.

00:06 The tribe she belongs to considers the tree their temple.

00:10 But Shri Moti fears that someday she'd be barred from offering prayers here.

00:16 A woman in her village recently passed away due to illness and the villagers blamed Shri

00:21 Moti for the death.

00:23 She was labelled a witch.

00:26 The villagers dragged her to an ojha or a traditional healer.

00:30 He backed their accusation and even suggested that boiling oil be poured over Shri Moti

00:35 to exorcise her.

00:37 Her son, Bothel, has gone to court seeking protection for his mother under the provisions

00:43 of the state's anti-witch hunting law.

00:46 "I don't understand why this happened to me.

00:51 It was frightening when they made these allegations.

00:54 My entire family and I live in fear of what the villagers might do to us."

01:02 Witch hunting is common in Jharkhand, one of the poorest states in India, where ethnic

01:07 tribal groups form roughly a quarter of the population.

01:11 And it is mostly in these communities that this practice exists.

01:14 Witch hunting is a centuries-old social evil which has its roots in superstition.

01:19 But now it seems to have become a convenient way to silence, oppress and ostracise vulnerable

01:25 women.

01:26 Salkhan Murmu is a social activist and former member of parliament.

01:32 He has been helping Shri Moti and Bothel with their legal case.

01:36 He runs an organisation for tribal empowerment which has been raising awareness against witch

01:41 hunting and helping those victimised by it.

01:45 "The intent behind this practice is mostly to scare vulnerable women, mostly those who

01:51 are old and aged for an ulterior motive, or to gang up against them and snatch their land.

01:57 Sometimes tribal chiefs also make these allegations just to ensure their domination in the village."

02:03 Murmu says that while there are anti-witch hunt laws, they are not effective and those

02:08 accused often face great danger.

02:13 In a village on the other side of the state, Ratan Hansita and his wife Champa face similar

02:19 charges.

02:20 They were accused of witchcraft after their own daughter died of illness.

02:25 It is one of the few cases in India where a man has also been accused of being a witch.

02:31 "We were falsely accused by our relatives because of land and property disputes.

02:38 All of the villagers turned against us and we had to flee the village to save our lives."

02:45 Like Shri Moti, Ratan and Champa also live in constant fear of attack.

02:51 Jharkhand state laws have done little to protect them.

02:54 Until India's government passes national legislation against witch hunting, they, like

02:59 so many others, will continue to be victimised by this age-old and brutal practice.

03:05 For more information on witch hunting, please visit www.indianwitchhunting.com.

03:12 [BLANK_AUDIO]

Brutal 'Witch-hunting' Practice Continues in India | Superstition | OneIndia News

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