Rajasthan woman again branded as 'witch', tortured

Once again woman in rajasthan is branded witch and tortured. The practice of branding women as witches and torturing them continues unabated in rural Rajasthan even though the state government is coming up with a stringent law – the Rajasthan Women (Prevention and Protection from Atrocities) Bill, 2011. A 35-year old woman was allegedly branded a "witch" by her family members and tortured by a "tantrik" in Pali district of Rajasthan, police said. "The victim Narangi Bai's husband and others said she was a 'dayan' and took her to the tantrik Usha Meena. The tantrik said that the woman possessed an evil spirit and in the name of scaring the 'evil spirit', she tortured Narangi Bai with hot iron rod," SHO Kotwali, Omprakash, said today. The incident was reported to police by locals following which the woman was rescued and hospitalised and her condition is now stabled after treatment, he said. Chunni Lal, the woman's husband, his brother Pukhraj and his wife Manju and the lady tantrik Usha were arrested and the matter was being probed, he added.

Earlier, in the last week of May, a 30-year-old woman was also branded a witch and tortured in Padardi Mewada village of Dungarpur district. In the last week of July, a 35-year-old woman alleged that she was branded a witch by villagers, tortured and was being forced to leave her village, again in Dungarpur district. So now what is state government, Police and Girija vyas doing in state, when such incidents are happening again and again.