Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Haryana are those states from where cases of inhuman harassment of women in the name of witchcraft keep coming to light. There are hundreds of women who were killed after being accused of being witches. Recently, in Bundi, Rajasthan, a 50-year-old woman was branded a witch, tied to a tree and burned with hot rods. There is a law against the practice of witchcraft. Despite this, such incidents keep coming to light. The question is, on what basis are women declared witches?
It has been seen in many incidents that those who call women witches are mostly their neighbours, family members or Tantrik. It has also been seen that women of all ages are declared witches. Women are subjected to severe inhuman torture by calling them witches. The limit is reached when even their own people leave them. Most of the incidents of witchcraft of women have been seen in rural areas.
This woman who helped women was declared a witch
How does one declare women as witches? Before asking this question, let us know about Padmashree awardee Chhotni Mahato. Chhotni Mahato is a social worker. He has been honored with the Padmashree Award in the year 2021. He fought a long battle against the practice of witchcraft. She even helped many women by fighting against this practice. Chhotni Mahato is a resident of village Birbans of Gamharia police station area of Seraikela Kharsanwa district of Jharkhand. She told in an interview that she was also declared a witch, after which her life had completely changed.
Chutni Mahato declared a witch, forcibly fed feces and urine
Chhotani Mahato told that she was married at the age of 12 in Mahtand Dih village of Gamharia police station. She was beautiful in appearance and used to wear nice clothes. People in the village were jealous of him. After marriage they had three children. She says that on September 2, 1995, her neighbor Bhojhari’s daughter fell ill. He was accused of using witchcraft to make her ill.
Because of this the villagers declared her a witch. His house was entered and he was beaten up. Some attempt was made to rape her. The limit reached when they were forcibly fed human feces to get rid of witchcraft. After this she was thrown out of the village and she came to her maternal home.
When she got stomach ache she was declared a witch.
An incident recently happened in Bundi, Rajasthan. 50 year old Nandubai Meena, a resident of Shahpura here, had stomach ache. She was shown to the doctor but she did not get better. The family took him to the place of worship of a local deity near Gudagokulpura village of Hindoli police station area. The self-proclaimed exorcist Babulal present there declared Nandubai a witch by calling her possessed by an ‘evil spirit’. He was kept tied to a tree for two days. Hot rods were fired on his body. He cut his hair and blackened his face. Nandubai complained about this to the police. A case was registered against Ojha and his two associates.
Met more than 60 women
In a report published in BBC in 2012, Professor Kanchan Mathur of the Institute of Development Studies told about the grounds on which women are declared witches. He told that for this he had gone from village to village and met more than 60 women who had been declared witches. Most of these victimized women are from backward class, tribal and Dalit communities. He told that most of the women were declared witches by making serious allegations on small matters. Most of these reasons were found to be related to superstition.
Due to these reasons she was declared a witch
Professor Kanchan Mathur had told in the report that women were called witches due to superstition. In these, milk animals stop giving milk. In cases like drying up of water in a well, illness or death of a child, women were declared witches. She says that many such cases have also come to light in which women were declared witches with the intention of grabbing property. Inhuman incidents like rape, cutting of hair, tonsure, forcibly stuffing excreta and urine in their mouth were done to them.
A law has been made against witchcraft
According to Pandit Manoj Chaubey, resident of Buxar, Bihar, there is mention of evil powers in the scriptures. It is mentioned in the scriptures that women of the Rakshasa clan used to perform puja to attain siddhis. He also received supernatural powers. But calling them witches would not be right at all. At the same time, a law has been made against the practice of witchcraft. When such cases come to light, strict action is taken against them.