Too little, too late, say rationalists

MUMBAI: The passage of the anti-superstition bill nearly two decades since it was first mooted brought a wave of relief among rationalists and supporters of Dr Narendra Dabholkar, who had dedicated his life to eradicating superstitious practices.
Many, however, considered the legislation a case of too little too late, given how watered down many of the provisions of
the act are.
“We are not fully satisfied with the legislation passed, but it is one step forward in our fight against superstition and black magic,” said Nandkishor Talashilkar of the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (MANS).
The new law seeks to eradicate black magic, human sacrifice, and other inhuman, evil and aghori practices.
One of the main areas of contention in the new legislation is a clause which states that no one except a family member of a
victim of black magic or human sacrifice can complain.
This clause in many ways defeats the purpose of the law, as families who are involved are either too indoctrinated or afraid to speak up, point out rationalists. Talashilkar cited an incident in Nallasopara a few years ago where an entire family had played mute witness as a tantrik participated in exorcism of their two children aged five and three, allegedly killing them in the course of the ritual.
“How will a family that volunteers to participate in such practices turn complainant against themselves?” he asked.
Executive president of MANS Avinash Patil said the bill they had originally mooted in the nineties had 27 clauses which have now been reduced to 12, but they were still satisfied with the outcome.
“Nearly 15 incidents of aghori practices were reported since the anti-superstition ordinance was passed in August, which is a huge step forward towards eradicating these practices,” he pointed out.
Another rationalist, Deepak Girme, said, “In a way, the law has brought a lot of attention to the issue of black magic and superstition. The legislation will act as a deterrent as those indulging in such practices will be afraid of making false claims, but we’ve paid a heavy price by way of Dr. Dabholkar’s life.”
Vijay Salankar, vice-chairman of the Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti, said the government had passed a law that was meant to appeal to various segments of society and that they were happy with the outcome. For instance, concerns of the Warkari community which had opposed the
bill were incorporated by excluding their practices.
Followers of Dabholkar said they would pursue the matter with the government to ensure appropriate amendments were incorporated in the future.
TIMES VIEW
Maharashtra seems to have lost a historic opportunity to enact a strong anti-superstition legislation. The law that was okayed on Friday, though welcome, is a diluted version, one that Dr Narendra Dabholkar would not have been very happy with. The biggest dilution is the result of the provision that only a family member of a victim of black magic or human sacrifice can file a police complaint. This leaves no room for activists or other enlightened citizens to step in and, sadly, puts the onus of reporting such practices on those who may have approached black magic practitioners for 'miracle cures' in the first place.