ASA offers five point suggestion to wipe out superstition, witch hunt

Mail News Service

Jamshedpur/Seraikela, Nov 12:  A public awareness rally was organized by Adivasi Sengel Abhiyan (ASA) at the district headquarters of Jamshedpur and Saraikela against social malpractices including superstition and witch hunting which the organization termed as dangerous and creation of sick and perverted mindsets. ASA urged people, especially those of tribal communities to cooperate with the five point suggestion that was handed in the form of a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioners of East Singhbhum and Saraikela-Kharsawan by a delegation of the ASA awareness campaign coordinators Vinod Bihari Kujur, Lakhan Bandia, convener Jadunath Mardi, coordinator Kalipado Tudu and Majhi Pargana Ampa Hembram. The ASA campaigners attributed the practice of witch hunting to a result of perverted mentality of the tribal village society. ASA sought cooperation from the government through the police administration by taking measures as per the five point suggestions to end such malpractices.

The five point suggestion included (1) Collective fine to be imposed on all villagers of a village along with provision of withdrawal of government benefits; person lodging a complaint against witch hunting may be exempted from such penalties, (2) the authority of the tribal self-government chief Majhi Pargana should be made mandatory that will enable the authority to end witch hunting, (3) there should be a monthly coordination meeting regarding the eradication of witch hunting at all police station levels under the supervision of the police administration in which Panchayat representatives, tribal self-government representatives, media and organization leaders, intellectuals, women self-help groups and local NGOs may be included, (4) improvement in the tribal village society by doing away with Bulug (intoxicant drinks), Rumug (exorcism based on superstition), Jhupna, Dandom (penalty), Baron (social boycott), buying and selling of votes during elections, anti-women mentality and similar practices by replacing the traditional, illiterate, drunken Majhi Pargana with educated, intelligent people by the villagers in Majhi Pargana through qualitative democratization process while ensuring that efforts be made not to deprive the tribal village society of the fundamental right to live with dignity, (5) Jan Jagran Ho that is to run a program of mass awareness against sorcery and witchcraft beliefs and to provide free health services in every village, so that villagers do not find excuses to revive voodoo and witchcraft beliefs.