Contemporary Practices of Witch Hunting: A Report on Social Trends and the Interface with Law

<strong>CENTRE FOR THE STUDY OF LAW AND GOVERNANCE Jawaharlal Nehru University</strong> <strong>SEMINAR SERIES</strong> <strong>MADHU MEHRA, ANUJA AGARWAL</strong> Discussant: <strong>USHA RAMANATHAN</strong> In a Roundtable Discussion on <strong>Contemporary Practices of Witch Hunting: A Report on Social Trends and the Interface with Law</strong> <strong>Abstract : </strong>Against the backdrop of sensationalised narratives of witch hunting, and calls for state specific laws, this socio-legal study on witch-hunting conducted by Partners for Law in Development (PLD) reports critical insights that question narratives that mystify and 'other' targeting of women as witches: it questions the relevance of state responses in India that are framed exclusively for witch hunting. The study, the first of its kind in India, provides evidence of contemporary social trends of witch hunting, and the interface of witch hunting related victimization with law. It draws upon a variety of sources: case studies from select blocks in the districts – Bilaspur and Janjgir-Champa; police records collected from Jamui, Bilaspur , Gumla and Ranchi for the years 2010 to 2012; and High Court and Supreme Court judgments from ten states. The findings suggest that that witch-hunting targets middle aged and older, mostly married women, across social groups. Although significantly fewer, there are male victims too. The data shows that the most violent acts, including murder, are one end of a continuum of violence which accompanies witch-hunting. Social stigma and ostracism, temporary or long term dislocation and resultant impoverishment are more common consequences of witch-hunting in the regions of the study. Threads of counter narratives challenge the flat discourse that conflates witch hunting with superstition and also highlight the relevance of structural contexts in which witch hunting occurs, bringing administrative neglect and governance concerns to the fore. <strong>Friday, 28 August 2015,</strong> <strong>ABOUT THE SPEAKERS: Usha Ramanathan</strong>, works on jurisprudence of law, poverty and rights. She has written and spoken on a range of issues, including the nature of law, constitutional rights, mass displacement, eminent domain, civil liberties, corporate accountability, surveillance, beggary, criminal law, custodial institutions, the environment and judicial process. She is a fellow at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies <strong>Anuja Agrawal </strong>is an Associate Professor at the Department of Sociology, University of Delhi. Her research interests and writings have been on the sociology and anthropology of family, kinship, gender, marginalised groups such as the de-notified criminal tribes sex work, trafficking and migration. She is the author of Chaste Wives and Prostitute Sisters (2008), and has edited Migrant Women and Work (2006). <strong>Madhu Mehra</strong> is a lawyer and executive director of Partners for Law in Development, a legal resource group working towards realisation of women's rights. Through capacity building and organisational support, she has contributed towards strengthening human rights lawyers and paralegals across the country. Her research and writings relate to the interface of law with gender, sexuality, culture, poverty and access to justice.