By Priyanka Dass Saharia
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| File picture of people accused of practising witchcraft being purified at a village in Majuli The Telegraph, Calcutta, December 18 , 2013 |
Bihurama Ganju, a
resident if Gurunjuli village along the Assam-Arunchal border was beaten to
death on 3rd July by the villagers for allegedly practicing
witchcraft. The villagers believed the practice to be the real cause behind the
long spell of diseased faced by them, and though the 40 involved have been
arrested by the police, this incident is simply one in a hundred similar
alleged ‘witchcraft’ lynching that goes on in the area.
Women have always been
the most vulnerable groups in a conflict space as the Northeast India, where
the constant state of mild violence creates a favourable ground for the breakdown
of the roles of democracy that entails development. Possibly the slackening of
the pace of human development has a lot to do with the political repressive
regime that the area is, breeding grounds for social resentment and a perpetual
state of paranoia and hopelessness in its inhabitants. Sometimes a situation as
such forwards into the precipitation of incidents as the aforementioned which
are loaded with implosive anger acts due to the underlying ever alive
scepticism towards one’s perception of life in general.
2013 had seen coverage
of this problem (Tehelka, February 14th) which remains endemic to
the social landscape of Assam’s rural spaces. Interestingly most of these
incidents are located at border regions which might explain a greater
correlation between cross border social problems which crystallises into a
distressed and impaired health of an individual’s psyche to be a common
denomination of fuelling an atmosphere of violence and mistrust where hostile
acts as such breed.
Women have been ostracised,
thrown out of villages and isolated by families in allegations of witchcraft
and bringing ‘bad luck’ to the village. Though a few groups (Assam Mahila
Samata Socety, Goalpara) have come forward to start a negotiated approach of
talks and a deeper understanding into the complexities of the problem that the
society faces which gives rise to such belief systems but attempts have been on
a small scale and a non committed basis for lack of administrative engagement
and public response from the afflicted areas themselves.
“People wouldn’t talk
about anything. We asked everyone about the incidents and rarely would people
even confirm that the killing took place. They were very uncooperative” said
Suranjana, a social worker working in the case. “People had deep rooted faith
in these quacks which was the main problem” she further aids with clear
exasperation.
There have a handful of
women from the villages who had decided to break free from the vicious cycle of
violence and have come to aid these groups in the breakdown of these mechanisms
which keep such practices alive. “A gaon burah couldn’t take a bold step
against witch hunting, and that surprised me and destitute women are the usual
targets. When I had raised my voice against it, the villagers went against me
too. They harassed me, questioned me but I tried to stand my ground. Had I not
been involved with the Mahila Samiti as a secretary they would have tortured me
too. They were a little scared because of my position. They forced me to resign
and when I refused they ostracised me as well. Quacks a very much a part of a
tribal society’s belief system and unless one sees development through
education these villagers wouldn’t want to even open their minds to
discussions” Birubala Rabha, a 60 year old widow from Thakurbilla, Assam had
stated in the article on Tehelka last year.
Many activists have
slated the problem to be one of a regressive mentality embedded in old
traditions, but the larger issue of development remains in the periphery of the
discussion. These villages lack institutional support when it comes to
education or health and these practices simply are an outpouring of the people
in their quest for answers and solutions to the situations. Their ways of
blaming other vulnerable and destitute sections of the community are acts
stemming from repose faith but on a deeper level it is a desperate attempt at
finding solutions and answers to the underlying problems of development that
the region faces. Add to this, the ongoing state of anxiety and fear due to the
cross border tensions, the situation could be dauntingly burdensome for an
inhabitant of the region. Many people have known to face post traumatic stress
disorder post any inter of intra ethnic conflict in the area. The counter
–insurgency movements by security forces puts another blotch to the already
problematic zone that these areas face in terms of socio-economic and
psychological problems.
‘Ignorance’ and ‘lack
of education’ are simplifications to a larger and complex problem that conflict
poses to development in any area. Adding on to that note, the deeply divisive
grounds of numerous ethnicities and the structures with embedded patriarchy
fosters an atmosphere for women that doubly affirm the vulnerable positions
that they are in, by virtue of their ethnic affiliations as well as their
gender.
It is also worth noting
how single women and widows have been the sole targets of these implosive hate
actions which might throw some light on the grips of patriarchy superiority and
how having a man to protect you is crucially instrumental for the dignity and
identity of a woman. The Manipur Guns Survivors’ Network has been working with
women of the region whose families have been affected by the gunned violence of
the cross border conflicts and aiding in their capacity building activities as
a means of rehabilitation. Similar is the problem here, where these widows are
usually the wives of men caught up in the cease fire of gunned violence in the
region and perhaps a necessary step would be look at the role of alternative
communication strategies in mitigation of the problem which would focus on a
mix of raising awareness and capacity building activities through women’s
collectives designed specifically to provide a grass root support within the
communities as Joya Chakraborty and Anjuman Borah, working on the case have
recommended.
The Goverment records
show that 66 women have been killed during 2005 to mid 2013 and many others
have been publicly humiliated, ostracised and forcefully trapped into various
horrific ‘purification processes’. The efforts at tackling at the problem have
been dispersed and lack a complex understanding of the larger issue of
conflicts and social psychology that is bred in a domain as such. Pankaj Sarma
in his piece on the topic (The Telepgraph, 2013) has expressed his views on the
need to consolidate the efforts in a joint forum for better outreach and
mobilisation for funds poltical support.
The acts of killing
with trishuls are horrific and infused with a strong aggressive thrust to the
action which speaks volumes for the firm faith in these beliefs of the people
and their deep seated resentment towards parties that they think as disrupting
the mental and social peace of the village. This also points to the larger
desperation at the pathetic living conditions with no healthcare, education and
psychological relief from the perpetual stress due to the ongoing conflicts.
The Assam Commission
for Women conducted a survey in 2013 where Borkakaty said that labelling a
woman as a witch is a common ploy to grab land, settle scores or even punish
her for turning down sexual advances by other men.
The social
disempowerment of women, who become a fringe community, especially in conflict
zones where already in the pre-existing
state of chaos of a politically repressive regime, public facilities are
attacked and there is a breakdown of civil liberties with human rights
curtailed, is often marginalised in public discussions of conflict resolution
and negotiations. The dehumanising
tendencies of the majority towards these vulnerable sections becomes a fertile
ground for further perpetuation of gender related crimes and violence against
women in the garb of ‘superstitions’ and ignorance. A certain temperament has
to be bred with an inclusive re-conceptualisation of development in conflict
areas which, as a research topic has always had its limitations to broader
focus on planning and ‘national security’ as opposed to ‘victim’
rehabilitation.