‘Experts should draft anti-witchhunt bill’

Guwahati: The CPM has suggested that legal experts, social scientists, activists and experts from different fields be involved in drafting a ‘flawless’ anti-witchhunting bill.
The Left party, which has been vocal against witchhunts, said the problem is largely related to superstitions and vested interests and should be fought with a well-designed and holistic approach.
In a memorandum to the government, the party demanded that the proposed bill be called ‘Prohibition of and Protection from Witchhunting Bill, 2015’, instead of ‘Prevention of and Protection from Witchhunting Bill, 2015’.
“Apart from superstitious beliefs, the menace has assumed alarming proportions due to the quackery and ‘magic’ remedies practised by a section of unscrupulous people who claim to possess supernatural or miraculous powers. Self-proclaimed godmen, ‘tantriks’, ‘babas’ and ‘fakirs’ are largely responsible for the increase in incidents of witchhunting and related crimes. All these unscrupulous people should be brought under the purview of the proposed legislation,” said CPM state committee secretary Deben Bhattacharyya.
In April this year, the home department submitted the draft bill in the Gauhati high court following the court’s instruction in connection with a public interest litigation (PIL).
Several social organizations and activists have stepped up their demand for stringent laws against witchhunting with increasing incidents of people, mostly women, being harassed, tortured and even killed by the evil practice every year.
Last year, the state saw a ghastly attack on national-level woman athlete Debojani Bora who was tortured and humiliated by a namghoria and his accomplices after being branded a witch.
According to an assessment by Brothers, a social organization involved in the campaign for a strict law against witchhunting, 81 people have been killed after being branded witches between 2008 and 2013.
Last year, at least 10 people were killed in around 30 such cases. This year, at least five such cases of harassment have been reported.