Witch-Hunting in India

Recently, five members of a family burnt alive in Bihar’s Purnia district on allegation of witchcraft.

• In 2025, India—78 years after Independence and globally ranked as the “fourth-most equal country”—continues to witness the gruesome, gendered violence of witch-hunting. 

About Witch-hunting

• Refers: Witch hunting is an age-old tradition considered to be driven by superstitious beliefs of people in rural India. The woman who is perceived to be practicing witchcraft is punished severely by the whole community and branded as ‘dayan’, ‘daini,’ ‘chudail’, etc
• Historical Roots in Superstition and Social Control: Witch-hunting originated from superstitious beliefs and regressive customs, often used as a means to eliminate individuals—particularly women—who were branded as witches for causing misfortune, illness, or natural calamities. 
  • It functioned as a form of social exclusion and patriarchal control.
• Continuation of the Practice in the Modern Era: Despite legal and scientific progress, witch-hunting persists in several regions of the world, including parts of India, where it is often practiced under the guise of tradition or customary belief. 
  • It reflects the deep entrenchment of irrationality and societal inertia.
• Gendered Nature of Violence and Victimisation: Women are disproportionately targeted in witch-hunting practices. They are branded, tortured, sexually assaulted, ostracised, or even killed, revealing how such accusations are deeply gendered tools of oppression, often rooted in misogyny, caste bias, and economic envy.
  • Women, predominantly from Dalit, Adivasi, and landless households, are branded as daayans (witches), lynched, disrobed, sexually assaulted, and made to eat faeces—all based on superstition, misogyny, and entrenched poverty. 
• Silence Around Survivors and Selective Public Attention: Witch-hunting is rarely acknowledged unless it ends in death; survivors face lifelong stigma and trauma.

Status of Witch-hunting in India

• 12 Affected States: Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, MP, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, UP, West Bengal.
• April–July 2025: Brutal witch-hunting cases reported from Bihar, Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh.
• NCRB (2000–2016): Over 2,500 witchcraft-related murders, predominantly of women.
• NCRB 2022: 1,184 killed in witchcraft violence (2012–2022)
• NCRB Crime in India Report: 85 deaths in a single year (2022)
• 2023–24 survey by Nirantar Trust: 48% of accusations come from in-laws and 42% cases linked to women’s increased income
  • In Bihar alone 75,000 women live under the daily threat of being branded witches—two or more per village.
• Reporting Deficit: Only 31% report violence; 62% of them receive no resolution, and 85% of village leaders are unaware of anti-witch laws.
• • Many cases go unreported due to fear, shame, or police apathy.

Root Causes Behind Witch-Branding

• Superstition as a Cover: Superstition acts as a convenient cover for witch-hunting, masking personal vendettas, gender bias, and caste-based oppression. It exploits ignorance, fear, and weak governance, allowing perpetrators to justify violence under the guise of cultural belief.
• Ojhas and Faith Healers: Ojhas are self-styled witch doctors in MP, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Odisha exploit communities by “identifying witches” in exchange for ritual offerings and fees.
• • Once someone is branded, it often leads to public shaming, violence, or murder.

• Gendered and Caste-Based Targeting: Elderly, single, assertive, or land-owning women are disproportionately accused, often for resisting control or asserting rights.
  • Dalits and Adivasis: Most victims belong to marginalised communities.
• Poverty and Illiteracy: Affected regions suffer from acute deprivation, low literacy, and absence of public services.
  • High out-of-pocket healthcare costs drive reliance on ojhas.
• No Economic Alternatives: Lack of employment and quality education leaves communities vulnerable to belief-based explanations for misfortunes.

Ethical Concerns Arising from Witch-Hunting

• Breach of Constitutional Morality: Witch-hunting violates Article 21 (right to life), Article 14 (equality), and Article 15 (non-discrimination).
  • Accusations are made by informal village councils or community mobs, not courts—denying fair trial, evidence, or recourse.
  • Constitutional morality stands defeated when “justice” is delivered by superstition, not statute.
  • Such Witch-hunting acts also violate several provisions of various international legislations to which India is a signatory, such as the ‘Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948’, ‘The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 1966’, and ‘Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, 1979’.
• Ethical Universality vs. Moral Relativism: Custom is often used to justify witch-branding. But ethical standards must not be culturally contingent.
  • Universal Ethics: No tradition can justify torture, rape, or murder.
• Dehumanisation and Systemic Violence: Women accused of witchcraft face extreme public degradation– heads shaved, paraded naked, beaten, and often killed. 
  • This goes far beyond murder; it is social annihilation, as many survivors live in isolation, silenced by shame and societal fear.
  • Kantian Ethics: No individual should be treated as a means to an end. Witch-branding violates the moral duty to uphold human dignity unconditionally.
• Gender-Based Violence and Patriarchal Retaliation: Nearly 98% of witch-hunting deaths involve women. The accused are typically aged 46–66, and 97% belong to backward castes. 
  • Women are targeted not for any mystical reason, but often because they are widowed or landless, opposing liquor sale, claiming inheritance, earning independently, etc.
  • 42% of cases are linked to a rise in women’s income or leadership roles, threatening male-dominated hierarchies.
  • Feminist Ethics: Witch-hunting reflects control over women’s autonomy—punishing those who assert agency or challenge traditional gender norms.
• Caste, Class, and Education-Based Discrimination: Upper-caste women are rarely accused, exposing the intersectional nature of caste, gender, and economic oppression.
  • Facers of this evil include- 73% never attended school, 66% lacked stable income and 97% were Dalit, Economically Backward Class (EBC), or Other Backward Class (OBC).
  • Social Justice Ethics: Fairness demands equal protection of all. The lack of redressal for marginalized women reveals ethical collapse in distributive and procedural justice.
• Moral Apathy of Institutions: According to the Bihar survey, only 31% of victims reported their abuse, 62% of those got no resolution and 85% of village leaders were unaware of the 1999 Prevention Act.
  • Virtue Ethics: Communities lack virtues of compassion, courage, and justice. Instead, passivity and silence prevail, even from law enforcers.
• State Failure and Legal Gaps: Despite state laws in Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha- enforcement is inconsistent, police often don’t know relevant laws and no uniform central legislation exists.
  • Social Contract Theory: The state has failed to uphold its end of the contract—to protect its most vulnerable in return for allegiance to the law.

Various Government Initiatives 

• State-Specific Legislations: 
  • Bihar (Prevention of Witch (Dayan) Practices Act, 1999)
    • Bihar became the first state to introduce a law on the matter in 1999.
  • Jharkhand (Prevention of Witch Practices Act, 2001), 
  • Chhattisgarh (Tonahi Pratadna Nivaran Act, 2005), 
  • Odisha (Prevention of Witch-Hunting Act, 2013) and 
  • Assam (Assam Witch Hunting (Prohibition, Prevention and Protection) Act, 2018).
• BNS Provisions: The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, replaced the IPC, includes provisions that can be used to prosecute perpetrators of witch-hunting. Key sections under the BNS (Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita) that would be relevant include:
  • Murder: BNS Section 103 (corresponding to IPC Section 302)
  • Attempt to murder: BNS Section 109 (corresponding to IPC Section 307)
  • Voluntarily causing hurt: BNS Section 115 (corresponding to IPC Section 323)
  • Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty: BNS Section 74 (corresponding to IPC Section 354)
  • Defamation: BNS Section 356 (corresponding to IPC Section 500)
  • Mob Lynching as Murder: BNS Section 103(2): When five or more persons act in concert to commit murder on grounds like caste, sex, belief, or other discriminatory factors, each member faces death, life imprisonment, and fine. This provision directly targets witch-hunting lynch mobs.
  • Grievous Hurt by Mob – BNS Section 117(4): If a mob of five or more causes grievous hurt on similar discriminatory grounds, all are punishable with up to 7 years’ imprisonment and fine. It recognizes and penalizes collective violence short of murder.
• Government Schemes and Initiatives: Some states have launched specific projects, such as Jharkhand’s “Project Garima” and “Project Suraksha” (launched by Jhalsa), which focus on eradicating witch-hunting, providing legal aid, counselling, and rehabilitation to victims. 
  • Assam has also notified a state policy to combat witch-hunting.

Challenges Faced

• Absence of Central Legislation: The lack of a uniform national law creates inconsistencies in addressing the issue across states. Bills introduced in the past (e.g., The Prevention of Witch-Hunting Bill, 2016) have lapsed.
• Ineffective Implementation: Despite state laws, their enforcement remains inconsistent due to a lack of awareness among law enforcement, shoddy investigations, and low conviction rates.
  • Example: While the Odisha Prevention of Witch-Hunting Act was implemented to address witch-hunting in the state, it still lacks teeth to contain the widespread menace.
• Social Acceptance and Stigma: Many communities still accept witch branding, and victims often face lifelong ostracization, making it difficult for them to report cases or seek rehabilitation.
• Data Gaps: NCRB data often classifies witch-hunting deaths under general homicide, making it challenging to track specific trends and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions.

Way Forward

• Legal and Structural Reform: Enact Central Law against witch-branding and witch-hunting.
  • Include socio-cultural dimensions under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
  • Establish fast-track courts and survivor rehabilitation schemes.
• Grassroots Empowerment: Promote women’s collectives and community watch groups.
  • Recognize and fund the work of activists like Laxmi Sahu and organizations like Association for Social and Human Awareness (ASHA).

• Education, Awareness, and Scientific Temper: Expand campaigns under Article 51A(h) to promote rationality and scientific explanation.
  • Integrate superstition-awareness and gender-sensitivity into school and panchayat training.
• Caste and Gender Inclusion: Target Dalit and Adivasi women for affirmative support: livelihood, education, housing, and legal aid.
  • Enforce mandatory awareness of anti-witch-hunting laws among police, panchayats, and community leaders.
• Health and Welfare Services: Invest in rural public health and mental healthcare, to reduce reliance on ojhas and faith healers.
  • Provide survivor counselling, economic support, and relocation aid to the ostracised.

Conclusion

Witch-hunting in India is not just a relic of superstition—it is a reflection of gendered power, economic inequality, and moral failure. Ending witch-hunting requires more than laws—it demands ethical governance, social courage, and inclusive justice. Until dignity, empathy, and equity are upheld, India’s claim to equality remains incomplete for its most vulnerable women.