Rajasthan widow alleges torture

A 40-year-old widow in Rajasthan Wednesday filed a complaint against her brother-in-law and some others, alleging that they were branding her a witch and forcing her to leave her village, police said Wednesday

The woman, Gangali Devi, belonging to Bedau Dhulia village in Banswara district, some 500 km from here, told the police that the accused were trying to establish that she is an evil spirit after the death of her husband so that they could grab her property.

She alleged that her brother-in-law barged into her house with some others and thrashed her.

"A group of people came to my house on Aug 14 and started beating me. They said I was a 'dayan' (witch). The torture has been going on since then," the woman said in her complaint.

According to police, an inquiry has been ordered.

"They ostracised her and claimed she was a 'dayan' and possessed an evil spirit," a police officer told IANS.

He said a first information report (FIR) has been registered against five villagers, including the brother-in-law.

"Since the death of her husband, the relatives are trying to grab the victim's property. It seems that they want her out of the village by branding her a witch," he said.

It is the third such case in three months in the state.

The practice of branding women witches and torturing them continues unabated in the remote rural areas of Rajasthan.

In the last week of May, a 30-year-old woman was branded a witch and tortured in Padardi Mewada village of Dungarpur district. In July, a 35-year old woman was tortured in similar manner in Dowada village in Dungarpur.

The state government had filed a reply in the Rajasthan High Court earlier this month over the measures being taken to curb the practice after some NGOs approached the court demanding a stringent law.

The government claimed that the department of women and child development has proposed a stringent law against women being branded witches.