Campaign against witch hunts bearing results in Tripura

GUWAHATI/AGARTALA: Till eight to 10 years back, nearly 14-15 people were murdered or lynched annually in the name of witch-hunting in Assam. Tripura also reported two to three such cases. Though no law has been enacted yet in Tripura, massive campaigns by various organizations and improvement of literacy rate among the tribals helped tame witchcraft, witch-hunting and black magic to a large extent. "Many NGOs involving both tribals and non-tribals have been in the forefront against the superstitious belief of witchcraft, witch-hunting and black magic. In the last more than one decade, such incidents have hardly been reported in Tripura," former Principal Scientific Officer to the State Government, Mihir Lal Roy, told IANS.

He said that with the expansion of both health services, education facilities and their infrastructural growth in the tribal and remote areas, many disbelief and superstition among people, including tribals, have been eradicated. Roy, who authored many books on science, superstition and societal issues, said that with the literacy and awareness campaign launched by the Tripura Upajati Ganamukti Parishad since 1945, many superstitious beliefs, false notions and unscientific practices among the tribals and non-tribals have been successfully eradicated.

He said that a New Delhi-based organization - Human Rights Defence International - has proposed to the Central and State Governments to enact laws against witchcraft, witch-hunting and black magic. (IANS)

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