Mandar witchcraft victims fear for life, seek survival crutches

19-year-old Anima Khalko still shudders when she thinks of August 7 night in 2015, when five women, including her mother branded as witches, were dragged out of their homes, stripped and beaten, assembled before a tree and hacked with an axe.

The inconceivable cruelty, triggered by death of a schoolboy due to illness happened a little after midnight at Kanjia Marhatola in Mandar block, some 40 km from here. Anima had somehow managed to sneak out on a Scooty to alert the local police station about the gory incident.

During these years, the victims of witchcraft were compensated by the Ranchi District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) under the Victim Compensation Scheme, 2012 with Rs 2 lakh each after Jharkhand State Legal Services Authority (JHALSA) Executive Chairman Justice D N Patel, at present the Acting Chief Justice, wanted that the victims’ families should get all kind of support and protection from the district administration so that all the facts related to case come before the court and a fair decision was taken by it.

The then DLSA Chairman-cum-Principal Judicial Commissioner (JC) Anant Bijay Singh, now a judge of the Jharkhand High Court, immediately called a meeting with the family members to take stock of the situation so that justice could be done to all of them, directing the SSP to get the matter investigated at the earliest and supervise the case personally so that justice could be done in the case.

However, the three years after, the four families, whose kin were killed, live in perpetual fear. They have been ostracised by the village as 40 male members were arrested and put behind bars. The district police have set up a picket in the village, but they fear that they could be killed once the crime perpetrators come out of jail.

The case is in the trial stage and the public prosecutor is producing the evidence to support its case.

“The compensation of Rs 2 lakh came as a great help. We got a small home built with the money, bought a cycle and spent the rest in agriculture. I also bought some hens to rear,” says 58-yr old Sibi Khalko, who lost his mother and sister.

Matiyas Khalko whose wife Jesinth was hacked to death that night, says that he spent the compensation amount on the studies of his three children and got his house repaired. Unfortunately, he lost his son in a road accident recently.

But they are not sure about their safety in future. “The village Mukhiya has been good so far, but we can’t say how long he will help us,” they point out.

Besides, their another concern is that they don’t have a permanent means of income to survive. Perhaps a proper rehabilitation scheme alongwith the compensation would have helped them much. Ironically, they have not been included in the BPL list, which could have entitled them for many privileges from the government.

Suman Thakur, the para legal volunteer, who is helping them to fight for justice, says that they would get entry the BPL entry when the socio-economic census is over.

DLSA Chairman cum Judicial Commissioner Navneet Kumar agrees. “Though compensation plays a major role in getting immediate succor to a crime victim, but there needs to have a standard operating procedure (SOP) to rehabilitate them for their social integration,” he points out.

Maintaining that after implementation of the victim compensation scheme, the courts have begun thinking of victimology, till recently a forgotten chapter in the rulebook. “We will see into their case,” he assures.

In Ranchi district, an amount of over Rs 1.25 crore has been disbursed to around 90 victims of rape, murder, human trafficking and acid attack since it was implemented in 2016.

On the apprehension of the victims, DLSA Secretary Fahim Kirmani says that the victims could approach the trial court through the public prosecutor seeking safety and the court is competent enough to direct the administration to ensure it in future. “It is good that they are strongly fighting for justice so far,” he adds.