WITCHCRAFT AND WITCH HUNTING IN ASSAM: AN ANALYSIS OF LEGAL FRAMEWORK

Abstract

Accusations of witchcraft and witch-hunting activities remain serious problems in Assam, India. In instances of witch-hunting, the notion of “victim” and “perpetrator” is quite bewildering; i.e. who is the victim and who is the perpetrator; does not come out very clearly. In fact, the cognition of victim and perpetrator is quite antagonistic among the “inside” and the “outsiders”. Here “insiders” include the people who live in the village, community, society, place; where the incidence of witch-hunting takes place; wheras “outsiders” are those, who are unknown to the accused witch and are not the residents of the concerned place. For “inside”; one who brings harm to the community is the “perpetrator” and the person who suffer the brunt is the “victim”. By this analogy, the accused witch is the “perpetrator” and the “individuals” who are inflicted with ill-effects of the evil powers of the witch, are the “victim”. In order to cub the cause of the misfortune and to prevent any further damages, the “insiders” resolve to ex-communicate, oust or kill the witch. Contrastingly, for the ‘outsiders”, the witch who has been ex-communicated, ousted or killed is seen as the “victim” and the people (the insiders) who are involved in this act are perceived as “perpetrators”. Where many women are subjected to violence or torture following accusation and persecution. Many experience serious physical and mental injury, and some die. However, most of these incidents are not reported because women and their families fear reprisals. Poverty, systemic gender inequality and weak state laws provide a context in which this behaviour occurs. Allegations of witchcraft will, however, not are fully eradicated without improvements in education and legal safeguards. The primary objective of the research article is to instigate a discussion about the protection of the victims of witch branding or witchcraft and also punishing the people who involve in branding witch or in witch hunting.