By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The gruesome murder of three persons by a violent mob on suspicion of witchcraft practice at Smit village recently has led to call for a strong anti-superstition law which is in compliance with the core human rights jurisprudence under international law.
Condemning the incident, the Meghalaya People’s Human Rights Council (MPHRC) has stated that the Government is duty-bound to comply with its legal obligations in fostering the respect for human rights under Article 51 of the Constitution of India.
“The Government must punish and prosecute individuals who accuse people of being superstitious or practicing witchcraft and those committing crimes such as torture and murder; torture in itself being a clear violation of human rights,” MPHRC chairperson Dino DG Dympep said in a statement.
While recognizing the severity of the problem, Dympep said that Meghalaya must enact a law that protects those victims from the deprivation of their right to life, the right to be free from cruel and inhuman treatment, the right to security and to provide for effective remedies for violations of these integral human rights and at the same time to further study the root causes of the problem and to completely eliminate the manifestations.
Expressing serious concern on the practice of superstition and other witchcraft related cases, the MPHRC chairperson said that in India, there is a combination of national and state level laws that, theoretically, should cover the acts and behavior of the perpetrators.
“However in the absence of the anti-superstition legislation in Meghalaya, their effectiveness has been blunted by poor enforcement and insufficient penalties,” Dympep stated.
Noting that the State obligations required not only measures of protection but affirmative action is also immediately required to ensure the positive enjoyments of rights, the MPHRC said that the Government must ensure that the practice of extra-judicial, summary, or arbitrary executions is brought to an end through effective and affirmative measures to prevent, combat and eliminate malevolence in all its manifestations.