Indian Family Killed for Practicing Witchcraft
Tuesday June 24, 2008
From the BBC, a disturbing report comes to us out of Calcutta, of a rural family of four, all killed by their neighbors. Although there's some question about whether they were stoned to death or buried alive, one thing that seems certain is that they were killed because villagers feared the family was practicing witchcraft.
Authorities say that 65-year-old Lakhan Majhi was scheduled to face a "public trial" on Tuesday evening in the village of Koilajuli Milanpur, after hundreds of neighbors accused him of casting a spell on another villager who had sickened and died. Mahji and three family members were attacked with bricks and stones, and then dragged to a jungle and buried alive. This horrifying incident took place in the Assam province, where some 500 people have been killed in the past few years, because neighbors accused them of being witches.
Back in March, a woman in Bihar was tied to a tree and beaten by a mob for witchcraft. Typically, the victims of these crimes are older widows, and it's not uncommon for a woman in a tribal area to be accused of witchcraft just so someone can grab her land or property, or take revenge for spurned sexual advances. However, in the Mahji case, it looks like an entire family was victimized. No matter what the reason, it's a horrible, brutal thing.
Authorities say that 65-year-old Lakhan Majhi was scheduled to face a "public trial" on Tuesday evening in the village of Koilajuli Milanpur, after hundreds of neighbors accused him of casting a spell on another villager who had sickened and died. Mahji and three family members were attacked with bricks and stones, and then dragged to a jungle and buried alive. This horrifying incident took place in the Assam province, where some 500 people have been killed in the past few years, because neighbors accused them of being witches.
Back in March, a woman in Bihar was tied to a tree and beaten by a mob for witchcraft. Typically, the victims of these crimes are older widows, and it's not uncommon for a woman in a tribal area to be accused of witchcraft just so someone can grab her land or property, or take revenge for spurned sexual advances. However, in the Mahji case, it looks like an entire family was victimized. No matter what the reason, it's a horrible, brutal thing.
Comments
Wow - what a terrible thing! Blessed be to all. It is so scary to see that things like this can still happen. We all live our lives here in “our” world and I think sometimes forget how lucky we are to be able to practice any religion as we choose without fear of something like this happening.
I hope justice will be sought for these people, however I am guessing that is pretty unlikely in this case.
So sad…
Very disturbing news indeed. I always find it sad that people, no matter what race or what part of the world, find it necessary to victimize other people because they choose to practice a different religion. May happiness shine down on that family that suffered such a horrible fate.
That’s so sad to hear… It’s tragic that this still happens.
I can’t even imagine how people could still think like that, but here we see such tragedy. What a horrible thing to have occurred, and I wish them the brightest of blessings in the afterlife.
Please remember, English is a very imprecise language in some ways. Also, we have co-opted and redefined a word that has had a very different definition for most of its history. “Witch” in most tribal or traditional cultures has absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with religion. It has to do with the practice of using spiritual forces to cause intentional harm to other members of the population, either for revenge or from sheer malevolence. The vast majority of people who are blamed for these practices are not doing anything at all or even practising a different religion from their fellows. They just happen to be on the wrong side of whatever social pressure has been building within the community. Yes, it’s tragic, and I certainly agree that it should never happen to anyone. It is a civil and criminal matter, however, not a religious matter.
That’s an excellent point. When you read about cases like this, typically in underdeveloped nations, it’s less a case of religious intolerance than it is a case of people being charged with sorcery. While for many of us in the Western world, particularly those of us who are neoPagan, consider magic a part of our religion, in most of the world it’s a completely separate issue.
Cases like this are far removed from actual religious discrimination, although that makes them no less awful.
patti
Whew!!! What a terrible thing! All the while I thought that the witch huntings are over. This is such an eye opener. Thanks.
that is disgusting!!!!
Being a teen wiccan myself, its no wonder when people who know of my faith ask me why I keep my religion silent at times. Its not because I’m ashamed, I’m actually quite proud but when I read stuff like this it makes my heart sad. Why cant we all just get along. Its just not right.