Assam mulling law to curb 'witch hunting': Gogoi

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi Monday said his government would try to bring a legislation to stop the practice of "witch hunting", which is going on unabated across the state.

Gogoi's statement came days after three people were killed by some villagers in Kokrajhar district of lower Assam after being branded "witches".

"We are aware that the cases of witch hunting are going on and there is a need to stop the menace. We are going to bring a legislation to stop the evil practice," said Gogoi while interacting with media.

Incidents of "witch hunting" have increased in Assam in 2011 and Kokrajhar has recorded the highest number of such deaths. At least five people were killed in the name of witch hunting this year in various districts of the state.

The issue has become so serious that it was raised at the floor of state assembly last year by the Bodoland Peoples' Front (BPF) legislator Pramila Rani Brahma.

Brahma, who represents Kokrajhar, demanded a strong legislation to stop the social evil.

Last year, Assam Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain informed the state assembly that a total of 80 people have been killed in Assam in last five years - from January 2006 to February 2011 - for being "witches" while 17 were tortured for the same reason.

According to the official statistics, a total of 29 women have been killed by declaring them witches in 2011. 10 of them hailed from Kokrajhar district.

Witch hunting had claimed four lives in 2012, according to official sources.

The evil practice of witch hunting is common among some tribal communities in various parts of Assam. Although various steps have been taken both from government agencies and NGOs to stop the evil practice, yet very little success has been achieved in this endeavour.

The Assam Police had also launched 'Project Prahari' for participatory development and people friendly policing to fight social maladies and deprivation. Under the project, it launched an awareness drive against "witch hunting" in state's remote areas.