NHRC notice to the Jharkhand Government over the reported witch hunting in the Latehar district

Press release

National Human Rights Commission

New Delhi, 23rd August, 2023

NHRC notice to the Jharkhand Government over the reported witch hunting in the Latehar district

The National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, India has taken suo motu cognizance of a media report that a woman has been subjected to physical torture, harassment and social boycott in the name of witch hunting in Balugram, District Latehar in Jharkhand. When some villagers came forward to save her, the accused even started beating them with a stick.

The Commission has observed that the contents of the media report, if true, raise serious issues of violation of human rights. Accordingly, it has issued notices to the Chief Secretary, Government of Jharkhand and the Director General of Police, Jharkhand, calling for a detailed report in the matter within four weeks.

Issuing the notices, the Commission has noted that the witch-hunting or Dayan system has been legally banned. However, it is still prevailing in many regions of the country, which is painful and a matter of concern. Such social evils, which promote indignity to women or any human being, cannot be tolerated in a civilized society. The perpetrators are required to be punished.

Therefore, the Commission has asked the concerned authorities that their report should also include the action taken against the perpetrators, the status of the FIR registered in the matter as well as the steps taken or to be taken to ensure that such inhuman incidents do not recur in the future by enactment of any prohibitory law or executive instructions to all District Collectors. They are also expected to spread awareness about this inhuman practice through media and social media. The report must also contain the scheme of compensation and rehabilitation of victims of witch hunting or the Dayan System.

According to the media report, carried on 22nd August 2023, some residents of her village called the victim in the village panchayat on 20th August 2023, made her sit in the middle and after conducting a strange ritual declared her a Witch, accusing her of killing a seven-month baby of the same village. Some women of the village present there reportedly started beating the victim by holding her hair.

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