India: Editorial in The Telegraph on the Public Lynching in Dimapur, Nagaland

The Telegraph - March 16, 2015

Wicked spell

A shocked nation recently witnessed the public execution of a man accused of rape in Nagaland. In Assam, the government has now drafted a bill in the hope of uprooting another grisly tradition of mob lynching. Since 2002, 140 people have been killed by frenzied mobs after being accused of practising witchcraft. According to official records, 12 of Assam's 27 districts have registered a rise in the number of such murders. The deteriorating ground reality has forced the hand of a somnolent State. The bill appears to have more teeth than some of the existing penal provisions. Terming or accusing someone as a witch or inflicting physical and mental harassment on the victim would be treated as a cognizable offence, punishable with incarceration for a minimum of three years or even for life. The government has thoughtfully inserted a clause to impose a community fine when entire groups are found guilty. Steps have also been taken to compensate victims or their families, and the inclusion of philanthropic organizations and common people in investigations has not been ruled out. The latter provision is of particular significance, given the limited reach of the State agencies in remote areas vulnerable to the malady.

Yet, enlightened legislation is not enough to confront a practice that is the product of multiple, interconnected structural flaws. Several states have passed laws to curb the menace but a survey conducted a few years ago indicated that the killings continued unabated. To break the evil spell, the State, civil society as well as rationalist organizations have to work together to identify the links among related triggers. It is not enough to point fingers at the failure to dispense education evenly, the pathetic awareness levels, and a culture that discriminates against women. India's patchy healthcare system plays a significant role in sustaining the twilight world of superstition. Often, victims are killed in societies threatened with epidemics. There is also an urgent need to reimagine the edifice of irrationality. The murder of Narendra Dabholkar, who campaigned relentlessly against superstition, was not the handiwork of a primitive people. The stakeholders of the irrational include bigoted religious groups and their political patrons.