Dr. Draghima Basumatary
Affilaition: Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology, Cotton University, Guwahati, Assam, India
Email: draghima.basumatary@cottonuniversity.ac.in
Abstract: Witchcraft encompasses broad based beliefs and practices manifesting into myriad forms in everyday life. The concept of witch is a part of these broad based beliefs. Witchcraft and witch-hunt is connected through crisis that occurs in society. Crisis can manifest in various forms in society. However, the witchcraft accusations do not always result in witch-hunting. Today, the focus of witchcraft practices is only on the destructive aspect leading to witch-hunt. In recent years, witch hunting is gaining attention around the world for violation of human rights. In Assam, the report on the increasing number of witch-hunting cases views it as tradition of the tribal communities. In Assam, the media reports cases of witch-hunt among Bodos, Rabhas, and Santhals. The reports suggest that the numbers of deaths resulting from witch-hunting are escalating every year. This raises few questions whether witch-hunt is a practise only of the tribal communities? Witch hunting is gaining attention around the world for violation of human rights. So, it is not just a tribal issue. The study seeks to understand the aetiology of witch-hunt as a phenomenon. The study focuses on how witch-hunting cases are perceived by the community and dealt by the state.
Keywords: Witchcraft; Witch-Hunting; Crisis; Law; Tribal; State.