I remember how excited I used to be when my mother told me stories about witches. Many of you can probably recall those tales from childhood – stories about evil old women practicing black magic, defeated by a brave prince. Well, those were fairy tales that thrilled us with their magical endings.
But the reality of witch hunts is far from those fanciful endings; they are brutal, unjust, and ongoing.
Women are still branded as “Witches”, forced to eat faeces, disrobed, physically assaulted, and even killed in India.[1]
Chhattishgarh women were made to walk on burning coal and iron nails to prove they didn’t practise witchcraft.
– The Print
A Dalit woman from Dumaria block of Gaya district in Bihar was assaulted and burned to death, claiming she was a witch.
– Outlook India
Data shows that at least 75,000 women – possibly two or more women per village in Bihar- live under the constant threat that comes with being accused of daayan. Nationally, the NCRB’s Crime in India Report 2022 provides the context. It reveals that nearly 85 people were killed in witchcraft-related murders across India that year alone. Over the past decade, from 2012 to 2022, 1,184 people lost their lives in violence related to witch-hunting. Most victims are from Jharkhand (22.6%), Odisha (16.1%), Madhya Pradesh (15.1%), and Chhattisgarh (13.1%).
These official figures only provide a partial picture as countless incidents go unrecorded, silenced by fear, societal pressure, systemic barriers to justice, and shame. Well, I find this very ironic because the ones who are responsible for these heinous acts often carry themselves with pride, while the victims are left to bear the weight of shame. This truly highlights a painful truth: Injustice faced by women has many layers, while the physical and psychological torment endured by women is undeniable. However, in this article, I want to talk about a lesser-discussed, yet equally devastating socio-economic dimension to ‘this’ pervasive issue, arguing that these are not isolated incidents but symptoms and causes of more profound economic distress. To understand this, we must look beyond the superstition to the stark economic realities faced by women.
Despite comprising over 48% of India’s population, women’s contribution to the nation’s GDP is only 18%. This disparity is not accidental but rather a direct consequence of crimes against women, particularly witch hunts. Women are stripped of their livelihoods and killed under the suspicion of being ‘witches’, leading to a significant loss of precious human capital for the economy.
A survey by the Frontline highlights that crimes, often framed as acts of witch-hunting, are not solely driven by superstition but by economic factors and the threat posed by ‘independent’ women. In the same article by Frontline, they wrote about an incident where five women in Jharkhand’s Mandar village were killed on the suspicion of practicing witchcraft, and it was later found that these women were protesting against liquor consumption in their village and raising awareness about it; the accusations were framed to silence them.
Every time a woman asks ‘why’ – society’s response – even in this ultra-modern era where we’re talking about robots replacing human beings, is often to remind her of her place. This reality exposes the glaring contradiction between our claims of progress and true equality. This contradiction is most evident when we look at how hard it is to protect women from the horrors of witch hunts. Yes, there are laws to prevent witch-hunting, but they are mostly at the state level. The central government has yet to pass a specific piece of legislation relating to the practice. When it comes to implementation, studies show only 2% of these laws are put into effect. This is mainly because most victims are unaware of these laws. Therefore, cases often go unreported, and even if reported, these cases are not properly investigated due to a lack of proper evidence or compromise.
“We talk about the law; but there is no actual implementation on the ground. If you go to a police station to file a report, many police officers won’t even know that these provisions exist.”
Ajay Jaiswal
Founder of the Association for Social and Human Awareness
– Frontline
My goal in writing this article is to illuminate a different reality. While we often encounter news of such acts, they are too frequently dismissed or reduced to gossip and tales branded just for entertainment; however, the reality is different because it not only impacts the lives of an individual but also inflicts harm to the country as a whole.
References
- Wikipedia contributors. (2025, March 26). Witch hunts in India. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 20:08, July 14, 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Witch_hunts_in_India&oldid=1282509534
- Outlook India: Bihar’s ‘Witch Hunts’ Target Women In Leadership Roles, Married Women.https://www.outlookindia.com/national/bihars-witch-hunts-target-women-in-leadership-roles-married-wome