Witch Hunting: A Shocking Reality of Modern India

Abstract

India has a long history of certain violent actions being committed due to the belief in superstitions. Women are often a major victim in many such superstitious beliefs. One such form of gender violence is witch-hunting which is still practiced in numerous places in India despite laws enacted against them. The Supreme Court has ruled against such practices and laid down certain guidelines for its eradication that are followed by states to prevent such practices. In recent times, several cases have been observed where people are a target for witch-hunting by nefarious individuals for their own materialistic benefits such as land and property grabbing. Certain legislations have been introduced for its eradication. This paper takes about the cases, guidelines, and legislations for the same and suggests action for improvement of the situation related to witch-hunting in India.