Lok Sabha Question No. 618 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-11-18
Subject: Practice of Witch Craft
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: TATHAGATA SATPATHY

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION  NO. 618 TO BE ANSWERED ON 18.11.2016

## PRACTICE OF WITCH CRAFT

## 618.  SHRI TATHAGATA SATPATHY:

Will the Minister of WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a)   whether the practice to label women as witches and carrying on atrocities against them are still prevalent in the country;
- (b)   if so, the number of such incidents reported during the last three years and the current year, State/UT-wise; and
- (c)   the measures taken by the Government to prevent such practice?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI MANEKA SANJAY GANDHI)

(a) & (b)  Yes Madam. Government has taken note of the practice of witchcraft in various parts of the country. As per the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB), the State/UT wise details of total number of cases registered under murder and culpable homicide not amounting to murder under the motive/cause of witchcraft during the last three years is annexed.

(c)   As per the seventh schedule, 'police' and 'public order' are the State subjects under the Constitution  and  as  such  the  primary  responsibility  of  prevention,  detection,  registration, investigation  and  prosecution  of  crimes  including  sati  and  witch-hunting,  lies  with  the  State Government/Union  Territory  Administrations.    National  Commission  for  Women  (NCW) conducts  seminars  and  workshops  from  time  to  time  to  create  awareness  on  the  issue  and discourage such practices. Harassment/torture/murder  etc.  which  are associated with the witchcraft are already punishable crimes under Indian Penal Code (IPC).

*******

## Annexure referred to in reply to Part (a) & (b) of the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 618 for 18.11.2016  by Shri Tathagata Satpathy regarding Prevention of Witchcraft.

Number of cases of Murder and Culpable Homicide (C.H.) not amounting to Murder under the motive/cause of Witchcraft during the last three years.

| Sl. No.   | States/UTS        | Murder (section 302 IPC)   |   Murder (section 302 IPC) |   Murder (section 302 IPC) |   Culpable homicide not amounting to murder (Section 304 IPC) |   Culpable homicide not amounting to murder (Section 304 IPC) |   Culpable homicide not amounting to murder (Section 304 IPC) |
|-----------|-------------------|----------------------------|----------------------------|----------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------|
|           |                   | 2013                       |                       2014 |                       2015 |                                                          2013 |                                                          2014 |                                                          2015 |
| 1         | Andhra Pradesh    | 15                         |                          2 |                          1 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |
| 2         | Arunachal Pradesh | 2                          |                          0 |                          0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |
| 3         | Assam             | 6                          |                          0 |                          0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |
| 4         | Bihar             | 0                          |                          6 |                          2 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |
| 5         | Chhattisgarh      | 7                          |                         16 |                         10 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |
| 6         | Goa               | 0                          |                          0 |                          0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |
| 7         | Gujarat           | 4                          |                         10 |                         13 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |
| 8         | Haryana           | 0                          |                          0 |                          0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |
| 9         | Himachal Pradesh  | 0                          |                          0 |                          0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |
| 10        | Jammu &Kashmir    | 0                          |                          0 |                          0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |                                                             1 |
| 11        | Jharkhand         | 54                         |                         47 |                         32 |                                                             1 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |
| 12        | Karnataka         | 0                          |                          0 |                          3 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |
| 13        | Kerala            | 0                          |                          0 |                          0 |                                                             0 |                                                             1 |                                                             0 |
| 14        | Madhya Pradesh    | 11                         |                         24 |                         20 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |
| 15        | Maharashtra       | 10                         |                          5 |                          5 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |
| 16        | Manipur           | 0                          |                          0 |                          0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |
| 17        | Meghalaya         | 8                          |                          1 |                          0 |                                                             0 |                                                             1 |                                                             0 |
| 18        | Mizoram           | 0                          |                          0 |                          0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |
| 19        | Nagaland          | 1                          |                          0 |                          0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |
| 20        | Odisha            | 24                         |                         32 |                         26 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |
| 21        | Punjab            | 0                          |                          0 |                          0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |
| 22        | Rajasthan         | 1                          |                          1 |                          1 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |
| 23        | Sikkim            | 0                          |                          0 |                          0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |
| 24        | Tamil Nadu        | 16                         |                          0 |                          0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |
| 25        | Telangana         | --                         |                          8 |                         14 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |
| 26        | Tripura           | 1                          |                          0 |                          1 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |
| 27        | Uttar Pradesh     | 0                          |                          3 |                          3 |                                                             0 |                                                             2 |                                                             0 |
| 28        | Uttarakhand       | 0                          |                          0 |                          0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |
| 29        | West Bengal       | 0                          |                          1 |                          2 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |
| 30        | A &NIslands       | 0                          |                          0 |                          2 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |
| 31        | Chandigarh        | 0                          |                          0 |                          0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |
| 32        | D &NHaveli        | 0                          |                          0 |                          0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |
| 33        | Daman &Diu        | 0                          |                          0 |                          0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |
| 34        | Delhi             | 0                          |                          0 |                          0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |
| 35        | Lakshadweep       | 0                          |                          0 |                          0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |
| 36        | Puducherry        | 0                          |                          0 |                          0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |                                                             0 |
|           | TOTAL             | 160                        |                        156 |                        135 |                                                             1 |                                                             4 |                                                             1 |