SOCIETY

Four women forced to consume human excreta in Orissa

     Uparkhandadhar (Orissa): In a revolting incident of superstition some villagers in Uparkhandadhar village of Sundergarh district in Orissa allegedly forced four women accused of being witches to eat human excreta under the disguise of witches. The police have arrested eight persons, including two women for this heinous action. These four women were locked in a room for three days by six men and two women. They were allegedly forced to pay a fine of 500 rupees each and forced to consume human excreta. "They beat us with a bible and said we were lying and that we are practicing witchcraft. They also fined us for it and forced us to consume human excreta," said Kapri, one of the victim. According to police, the four women were tortured as they were accused of practicing sorcery and spreading disease in the village. "Our police team rushed to the spot and rescued the four women. We also filed cases against the two women and eight men accused of branding four women as witches. We also filed a Court challan against them," said Bibudhendu Ku Aich, Officer In Charge, Lahunipara. The Government of Orissa has a law against aiding and abetting witchcraft. In 1999, the Government also passed an act against witchcraft, "Witch Prohibition Act-1999", according to which six months imprisonment and a fine of 2,000 rupees can be imposed on a person found guilty of torturing innocent women. Surprisingly, in most cases the practitioners of witchcraft as well as their victims are women. While cases of women practicing the occult is known, in most cases it is innocent women who are branded as witches and subjected to torture and even death.
-Nov 14, 2005

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