A Correspondent
Bokajan: At a time when the State government has brought in stringent laws to punish violence stemming from witchcraft allegations, witch-hunting continues to plague the remote parts of the State which have little or no access to education, healthcare and a formal justice system. Witchcraft resulting in mob lynching has long been a part of the State’s rural history.
Most of the tribal peoples living in the remote interior villages of Karbi Anglong are poor and remain in the back seat of development. Education and public healthcare have not touched the rural populace of this hill district and the poor, illiterate tribals rather turn to superstitious beliefs to cure illness or to rationalize bad events. The hope for immediate transformation brought about by the law also seems fanciful if one considers the social realities behind such incidents of witch-hunting.
A peek into the remote tribal pockets of Karbi Anglong will indicate that the public health system, which is in shambles in the district, has rather created an atmosphere for quacks to thrive and conspire with locals to blame old people and single woman for illness, death or crop failures. Superstitions persist in the tribal villages here as the government educational programmes have failed to enlighten villagers of the centuries-old beliefs.
Days before Socheng Teron (60) was beaten to death on suspicion of practising witchcraft, a series of unexplained illness and death occurred in the village and the ingrained superstitious beliefs of the villagers suggested that some dark magic was at play. A fear psychosis prevailed in the minds of the ignorant villagers and they immediately sought the help of a quack who exhibited that a witch was casting evil spells on the village causing illness and unnatural death.
The victim Socheng Teron, a strong devotee of Goddess Kali, was the prime suspect and remained at the receiving end of the fallout consequences. Teron and his family was summoned by the village headman for a mass hearing in his residence which accused him of enduring witchcraft. A heated argument raising claims and counter claims stirred up the already assembled mob which lynched Teron to death by draping him in a fishing net. Three other family members of the victim, including a two-year old minor, were also injured in the incident.
Nineteen persons, including two village headmen, have been arrested and booked under sections 302/305 IPC R/W section 4(i)/5/9(i)/11 of Assam Witch-hunting (Prohibition, Prevention, Protection) Act, 2015. The Bokalia Police are also hunting for the quack who reportedly hails from Nilbagan in Nagoan district. An elderly couple, branded as witch, faced a similar mob wrath a couple of days back at Klurdung village under limits of the same Bokolia police station.
Debojani Bora, a national-level athlete of Dokmoka, Serekali village was beaten black and blue by a mob which branded her a witch back in 2014. She, however, survived the brutal torture and was recovered in a unconscious state by police later. Earlier on August 2013, another 60-year old woman was severely tortured and beaten on suspicion of her being a witch in the same area.
Education, awareness and a better healthcare facility in the rural pockets of Karbi Anglong are a necessity to counter this social menace of witch-hunting. Participation of various civil societies and social organizations at providing awareness can help mitigate this social evil. A progressive transformation is the need of the hour rather than comprehensive radical changes. The government should also initiate poverty elimination strategies and employment generating schemes in the rural areas as these incidents of witch-hunting can also be attributed to poverty-related feuds.
Also Read: Assam News