200 women in India killed every year after being branded 'witches'

Nearly 200 to 150 women are killed every year in India after being tagged as 'witches', a Dehra Dun based NGO has said citing National Crime Bureau statistics. Jharkhand tops the list with 50-60 witchcraft-related murders every year followed by Andhra Pradesh where the number is around 30, Haryana 25-30 and Orissa 24-28, Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra (RLEK) Chairman Avdhash Kaushal claimed. Read More................200 women killed every year after being branded 'witches'

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Villagers Shave, Beat 50 Women Accused of Witchcraft

RAIPUR, India - Indian police began a probe on Monday into reports that villagers in a tribal area of central India beat 50 women with sticks after accusing them of witchcraft, and cut off their hair.

The villagers acted on the advice of a local spiritual man who said the assault would protect them from evil spirits, in a forest in a poor district of Chhattisgarh state, 400km (250 miles) from the capital Raipur, police said. Police probe assault on 50 "witches"

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People throng to 'Witches' for cure to AIDS, cancer

Raipur: In a bizarre ritual that took place midnight last on the outskirts of Raipur, three women known as the 'Navratri witches' and claiming to be blessed by goddess Durga, slapped people while chanting the names of the goddess to rid them of dreaded diseases like AIDS and cancer.

On the banks of a pond at New Purena locality, poor people suffering from serious ailments came to be 'cured' by the three 'witches' who claimed to adept in witchcraft. Read more........................People throng to 'Navratri witches' for cure to AIDS, cancer

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Where Women are branded Witches

"In India's Rajasthan, Orissa, Jharkhand, Bihar and the north-eastern states some women are identified and specifically targeted as witches or bearers of ill-omen in villages. These victims are socially ostracised and even close family members refuse to help or support the women, leaving them to the mercy of witch-hunters. Most of them suffer mental breakdowns because of pressure and depression."

“Whenever such incidents are reported, most people are dismissive, blaming it all on the superstitions of backward villagers. Almost all the victims are either widows or single women targeted by anti-social elements to either exploit them or snatch their property/land holdings. Even in the villages, almost everyone knows that witches don't exist,” as per Ms Tara Bhandari, chairperson, Rajasthan State Commission for Women.

Now Rajasthan state shall be the first state in India to formulate a Bill/Act on Prevention of Witch Practices to ensure justice to ill-fated women branded witches and exploited socially, economically and physically by unscrupulous elements in rural parts of the country almost regularly.

Read more.....................Off with a broom

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When, 'Witches' cure the ill by slapping them

A group of women, believed to be blessed with powers of witchcraft, claim to have treated people suffering from dreaded ailments like cancer and Aids by stroking or even slapping them - an annual tradition in a Chhattisgarh slum during the festive Navratri season.

As hundreds of people gathered at the banks of a pond at a slum called New Purena, on the outskirts of Raipur, about five women began their ‘healing’ with cries of “Maa Jagdambe” at midnight Friday.

They picked up a few children suffering from heart ailments, three women with cancer and two HIV-positive rickshaw pullers from the crowd of around 500. Read more............Here, 'witches' cure the ill by slapping them

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Children of Witches

Here are Children of Witches who have started a social revolution in villages of Jharkhand state of India. Daughters and granddaughters of women who were once branded witches are coming forward to root out the social evil.

"My grandmother was blamed for everything taking place in the village, be it the death of a cow or a buffalo. One day I decided to stand up against this. When they once came to beat my grandmother, I stood at the doorway and asked them to kill me first. The villagers retreated," Poonam said.

"I took up the matter with the panchayat leaders and argued that if my grandmother could kill anyone, then why couldn't she protect herself from the wrath of the villagers. The panchayat accepted my argument and agreed not to harass my grandmother," she said.

Read full story at New Kerala.com...........Children of 'witches' fight social stigma

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