Beyond the headlines, the tickers, the trends and the question of topicality, there are stories that hold far more consequences like the ongoing witch hunts. Outlook’s latest issue looks at the phenomenon.
There is no central law yet to criminalise witch-hunting. A few states like Bihar and Jharkhand have passed laws to rein in such persecutions, but the quantum of punishment isn’t enough to deter such killings and torture.
In 2016, the Prevention of Witch-Hunting Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha. It wasn’t passed. Even in folklore, mythology and popular culture that shapes our understanding of the world, the figure of the witch is cast in order to establish cultural contexts and legitimate hegemonies.
Thousands of women, who belong to indigenous and rural societies in India, have been killed over the years after being marked as witches. Many more have been tortured in unimaginable and undignified ways.
