The preliminary fact-finding report of the incident involving the beating on charges of ‘witchcraft’ in Birgunj Metropolitan City-24, Parsa district, at Bahubari tole, has been made public. On August 2, the report was publicly released by the team that conducted the on-site study, led by INSEC.
According to the team’s findings, Parbatia Devi Ahirin, a 70-year-old woman from Birgunj Metropolitan City-24, Bahubari Tole, was assaulted by Kashi Raut Ahir and his 25-year-old son Brajesh Raut Ahir (Yadav) on the accusation of being a ‘witch’.
As per the report released by INSEC on August 2, the accused Kashi Raut Ahir’s 48-year-old wife, Durga Devi Raut Ahirin, fell ill frequently and Parvati Devi Ahirin, the victim has stated that she has been subjected to verbal abuse, including being called ‘witch, along with facing insults and abuses for the past few days.
Prior to this incident, Kashi Raut Ahir and others had accused the 45-year-old wife of Dilip Yadav, who resides in the same village, of being a ‘witch’. They visited the victim’s house and subjected her to verbal abuse.
According to the victim’s family, Kashi Raut Ahir’s wife kept falling ill and accused two women of the village of being ‘witches’ and reason for her falling ill. The victim’s family alleges that senior citizen Parvatiya Devi Ahirin was physically assaulted on the road, using the term ‘witch’ to abuse her. In this incident, the victim’s family filed a complaint at the District Police Office, Parsa, but the police said that they registered a complaint for indecent behaviour. – As mentioned in the report
The report mentions the allegation of mistreatment against women in the name of supposed ‘witchcraft,’ which continues to be prevalent in our society. The team acknowledges the need for a thorough investigation into incidents related to allegations of ‘witchcraft’ and mistreatment like this to initiate legal proceedings effectively. Samjha Shrestha, who went to Parsa for the study, from INSEC central office believes that it is essential to implement the law effectively to put an end to superstitions like allegations of ‘witchcraft,’ and also stressed the need for awareness-raising programs at the rural level.
The team included Samjha Shrestha, the Coordinator of the Human Rights Debate and Advocacy Program, Raju Paswan, the Coordinator of INSEC Madhesh Province Office, and human rights activist Bholanath Poudel from Bara.
बोक्सीको आरोप (कसुर र सजाय) ऐन २०७२
स्थलगत अध्ययन प्रतिवेदन