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Witch hunts rampant despite laws: Study
NEW DELHI: Years after special laws have been introduced to combat the crime, witch hunts continue unabated. Between the years 2010-12, Chhattisgarh saw 51 such cases while Bihar and Jharkhand witnessed 26 and nine incidents respectively, says a fresh field study conducted in these three states. Many of these cases are rooted in property disputes, the study further points out, adding that a host of factors such as lack of healthcare, community pressure and poor prosecution have hindered efforts to end the social menace.
Asha Bajpai, dean, Centre for Law and Society at Mumbai’s Tata Institute for Social Sciences (TISS), says that the special state laws have only helped to a limited extent. “Special laws can be useful if they have special provisions. The Indian Penal Code (IPC) is still used in these cases and there has to be ‘proof beyond reasonable doubt’of the crime, which can be a hindrance in securing justice. Also, currently, state laws do not talk about mainstreaming and rehabilitation of the victims,”says Bajpai. Since a bulk of these crimes is known to have been motivated by property disputes, she suggests looking at state inheritance laws and land rights when dealing with such cases.