Journal of Education & Social Policy

Witch Hunting— An Unabated Social Menace of Assam
Dr. Ramala Sarma

Abstract
Assam, like many other parts across the country, often witnesses deaths, injuries and miseries resulting from witch hunting, an odious crime. Recurring incidents of killings in the name of witch hunting have alarmingly challenged the laws and various anti-witch hunting programmes. But what it is behind such a heinous practice and what renders this social menace unabated is really a matter of serious concern for every conscious mind. And this is the predominant focus of this paper. It takes up the cases of witch hunting in Assam with special reference to those of Thakurbila village of Goalpara district. Then it analyses the initiatives taken by Project Prahari and Mission Biro Bala to find out the reasons why these programmes are yet to put to an end this evil practice. Finally this paper arrives at the finding that there is always a wide space between the practitioners of this crime and the saviors— while the former is trapped in the traditional beliefs, the later is enlightened by the scientific mode of looking at things. It seems like the crisis will go unstoppably until both drop their biased stands and are ready to honour each other’s belief and know-how.

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