The NHRC- National Human Rights Commission has recently issued a notice to the Rajasthan Government for a group of women who are allegedly branded as witches in the Bhilwara district of the state. After a media report on the poor women, the NHRC has taken a suo motu cognisance for the plight of the women who are suffering.
The media report said, “Some of them were “tortured brutally or even killed”. Some of them were forced to leave their homes, and their properties were grabbed by powerful people.”
A statement was released by the NHRC which said that the state authorities have not been taking any strict and firm action on the issue and thus it has now issued a notice. It said, “The contents of the news report, if true, raise serious violation of human rights of the hapless and helpless women in the state of Rajasthan.”
The statement further said, “They have been asked to indicate the action taken by the law enforcement in each such incident and the steps taken by the state authorities to address the issue.”
The issue has been noticed in the name of the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police of the state and the NHRC has called for reports in the matter.
