Kendrapara: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a notice to the Director General of Police (DGP) and the Chief Secretary of Odisha calling for a report on a suspected case of sorcery within four weeks.
Acting on a petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer and rights activist Radhakanta Tripathy, the NHRC gave this direction on the allegation of murder of five persons of a family, using witchcraft, at Indupur village under Koida block in Sundargarh district. The activist said in his petition that the state has failed in ensuring justice to the deceased and his family members. The negligence of state officials in implementing the Act related to witchcraft and sorcery is a serious issue of human rights violation.
The NHRC also warned that “In case, the report is not received within the stipulated time, the Commission shall be constrained to invoke coercive process u/s 13 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 for personal appearance of the concerned authority.”
January 27 this year, five members of a family — mother and her four minor children — were killed in Indupur village. The deceased woman was identified as Mangiri Munda (30), wife of Sidia Munda, a driver. Bodies of her 10-year-old daughter Mara Munda, son Tekel Munda (9), Chamar Munda (4) and one-year-old daughter were found dumped in a well.
Citing a February 2013 case, Tripathy pointed out three women and an elderly man were reportedly paraded naked by villagers branding them “black magicians” in Amapada in Sundargarh district. Despite NHRC intervention then and the recommendation of the National Commission for Women, the situation has not improved in the district.
The figures are chilling: At least 540 people have been killed on suspicion of practicing witchcraft in the last 14 years. Of them, 274 have been murdered in the last five years alone while 267 have met the same fate between 2001 and 2009. This suggests that far from coming down with the spread of education and awareness, incidents of witch-hunting are actually on the rise in Odisha, Tripathy pointed out.
As per data available, at least 226 people have been killed on suspicion of practicing sorcery between 2010 and 2014. As many as 56 people were killed in 2010; 72 in 2011; 52 in 2012; 42 in 2013; and 52 in 2014. While these figures were computed based on complaints filed with various police stations across the state, the unofficial figures are substantially high as many cases go unreported.
As per a rough estimate, at least 72 people are hacked to death every year in the state. While witchcraft practices are rampant in tribal-dominated districts of Odisha, women, particularly widows and spinsters, are most vulnerable to such practices. The deplorable practice of witch-hunting is rampant and women and their family members are victims of the senseless violence, said Tripathy in his petition.
Identification, prosecution and systematic elimination of the practice of witchcraft are the need of the hour. However, the same is not done by the state authorities. Failure of the state government mechanism in acting over the issue of witchcraft and sorcery pose serious question of human rights of people living in the state, Tripathy said.
He requested the NHRC to investigate the case in detail by a team of officials or through the Special Rapporteur, direct the DGP and the Chief Secretary to act over the issue immediately and produce the details of deaths due to sorcery and witchcraft in the state; total amount of compensation paid to them/ family members, total number of cases where provision of law related to witchcraft has not been inserted by the police even if the murder/attempt to murder has links with sorcery and witchcraft, etc and recommend steps to be taken in the interest of justice and protection of human rights.
PNN