Rapid response teams former in Odisha against witch hunting

Rapid response teams have been formed in Odisha's tribal dominated Mayurbhanj district to check incidents of witch hunting which had been increasing in recent years, a senior official said today.
The teams have been formed at district, block and gram panchayat level to check the menace, Mayurbhanj district Collector, Rajesh Pravakar Patil.
He was addressing a workshop on witch hunting here organised by the district administration.
The district which witnessed 47 killings of widows, deserted and unmarried tribal women on suspicion of being witch during last five years, is mostly vulnerable to witch hunting, said Patil.
Mostly the Santhals and Kolhos of the tribal community under the influence of the sorcerer are involved in committing such heinous crimes out of illiteracy and poverty and targeting their own relatives and family members, he said.

To put a curb on with hunting menace, the district administration for the first time in the state had constituted a district level cell and rapid response teams in association with government and public.

Awareness measures were also being taken up with the help of Nehru Yuvak Kendra, NSS volunteers of North Orissa University and local youth clubs, the Collector said.
After the action was initiated, 29 vulnerable women were rescued and given shelter at correction homes, he said.
Citing a recent case of witch hunting, he said that a tribal woman was forcibly undressed, tied to a pole and was also raped in a village under Rairangpur rural police station area who was later rescued, the collector said.

Regular street plays were being held in rural weekly haats and leaflets being distributed to create awareness on witch hunting episodes, he further said.
The workshop was attended by dignitaries like former State Information Commissioner Prof Radha Mohan, SP Mayurbhanj Gadadhar Pradhany, noted social activist Aditya Patnaik and PD DRDA Mayurbhan Arindam Dakua.