An innocent elderly male has been beaten to death in the name of witchcraft practices

Superstitious practices and belief have severely dominated the entire socio-cultural lives of the People of Nepal since time immemorial. Witchcraft, Shamanic practices, paranormal doctors and healers, divine and God-men claims are the common place phenomena in the illiterate and ignorant rural community that have taken the lives of many innocent rural women in particular. HUMAN has been actively involved in fighting such inhuman practices right from its inception in 1997 and the events of such irrational practices have been declined to some extent, however, there are still numerous such inhuman practices going on throughout the country. The following cases elaborate the practices that were held recently in Palpa and Mahottari district of Nepal.

According to the preliminary report of the Humanist Association of Nepal, a resident of Mittyal village development committee of Palpa district, Nepal has been beaten brutally to death in the name of practicing witchcraft. On July 12, 2006 a group of villagers beat brutally to death to an innocent local namely Suk Bahadur Saru aged 51 accusing him of practicing witchcraft and immediately the culprits threw the dead body of Saru down from a cliff to cancel the crime. A group of villagers were gathered to try Saru at a local Kangaroo court for practicing witchcraft on the same day, had killed him brutally according to the other villagers. No one of the village, however, is willing to disclose identities of the killer(s) to the fact finding mission of the Humanist Association of Nepal. According to the local clue the culprits have been warned of fifty thousand rupees fine or penalty for leaking anything out.

According to the secret information of the some villagers Saru was killed by Durga Bahadur Khangaha by hitting with a wooden plank, one of the local said on condition of anonymity. After sometimes when HUMAN members tried to contact to Durga Bahadur, he had been claiming that Saru was troubling him with his deadly evil spirits.

According to the report, villagers also claimed that after Saru was killed his body was thrown from a cliff to make it look like an accident. As everyone in the village is scared to speak about the murder, the incident did not come out on time. The VDC is prone for the witchcraft practices. One of the villager namely Nawalsingh Somai of the same village was also tried in a similar Kangaroo court for practicing witchcraft and he has been missing since the last three years. According the local women it is the common practice in the village to try people in such courts on such charges. It is common practice that those who are declared “evil” by the shaman are tried in such courts. A local woman discloses the punishment history of the village specially related to witchcraft practices. When HUMAN tried to contact with security department they stated that they don’t have any information about the same.

HUMAN is going to study the incident in details and tries to bring down the culprits within the legal frame along with humanist educational campaigns against superstitions and irrational practices that are prevailing in the VDC.

Similarly there was another inhuman act has been reported. According to HUMAN report, Rampiyari Devi Mahato aged 45 was stripped naked, beaten, tortured and humiliated in a barbaric manner by her neighbors in the name of practicing witchcraft. The culprits involved were the five relative members of Jageshwor Mahato, Nepali Congress (Democratic) cadre- Bijaya Mahato, Kiran Devi, Dulari Devi, Pramila Devi and two others; Raj Kumar Mahato and Saraswati Devi of Bijalpura VDC ward no. 4 dragged Rampiyari Devi Mahato of the same VDC-5, out of her house and beat her in an inhuman manner.

After Abadh Mahato, another neighbor intervened; she managed to escape into her house. However, Bijaya Mahato pulled her out by her hair and stripped her naked. In her nude state she was beaten, humiliated and tortured with boots and whips till she fainted.

Passers-by rescued her in an unconscious state and took her to daughter’s home as her son and daughter –in-law were out of the house on work. “They made me naked and beat me till I fell unconscious,” Rampiyari said with tears streaming down her face. Villagers said that the culprits were angry as the victim had stopped working in their house after she took a bank loan and started her own business rearing goats. HUMAN has investigated the event in details by providing morale and material support to the victim, Rampiyari.

August 2006

Prepared by

Ganga Prasad Subedi

Gen. Secretary

Humanist Association of Nepal (HUMAN)