The Dhaka Times Desk The issue of witches has become a hot topic in many countries of the world recently. Incidents like this happen occasionally in different countries of the world. It is reported that 2500 women have been killed in India for witchcraft in a decade.
The story of the witch is like the story of that poker old woman. That only fits in a storybook. But even in the 21st century, there are thousands of cases of women being tortured and killed by slandering witches in different parts of India. According to a survey of the media, at least 2,500 cases of witch killings have come to the public in the last decade alone.
The ghostly looking witches we have seen in dramas or movies
In the last two years, 270 women have been killed by whipping, caning or stoning for witchcraft, according to a report by the Deutsche Welle news agency. Most of them are elderly. However, according to reports, the actual number of murders is much higher. Such incidents mostly remain unknown. The police pretended not to know or refused to admit it was a witch-killing. In the villages and towns of different states of India, the religious head or Vaidya, who is called 'Janguru' in the village language, when any incident occurs, he judges or uses magic to say that such and such a woman of such and such a village has been possessed by a witch or a ghost. This incident is due to his bad eyesight.
To the Santal tribals of West Bengal, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, this 'Janguru' is regarded as the counterpart of God. His command is supreme. 'Janguru' does whatever it takes to keep their trust intact. 'Janguru' labels women who are Dalit, low caste poor or illiterate as witches. The people of Janjati never consider it a crime to kill a witch to save their village. This mentality is connected with the way of life of tribals in Ashteprastha. A hellish game of witch slander is going on everywhere in India, East-West, North-South. No one knows when this hellish game will end.
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