Assam’s Padma awardee worked to eradicate witch-hunting practice

Having been a victim of the practice, Rabha took it upon herself to raise her voice against it and has since saved dozens of lives

Till a decade back, nearly 12-15 people would be branded as witches and murdered annually in Assam. The cases have come down drastically in recent years, thanks mainly to activist Birubala Rabha’s efforts. In recognition of her work against the practice in the face of personal problems and dangers, the 72-year-old was named as one of the recipients of this year’s Padma Shri awards.

Birubala Rabha. (Sourced)

“I am very happy with the honour. I have faced many struggles and even threats to my life for the work I have been doing... The recognition is the blessing of those who have supported us,” said Rabha, who dropped out of school after Class 5 to be married off early. Rabha was called a witch and blamed by fellow villagers for deaths of neighbours.

Having been a victim of the practice, Rabha took it upon herself to raise her voice against it and has since saved dozens of lives. She has spread awareness for ending witch-hunting. “My life and work are dedicated to others. The journey has been arduous, but I am not going to rest on my laurels and stop the mission which we have taken up,” said Rabha. Rabha’s work prompted the passage of the Assam Witch Hunting (Prohibition, Prevention and Protection) Act in 2015.

Witch-hunting is a form of superstition wherein women usually are blamed for deaths, illnesses, financial troubles, or even crop damage and targeted by relatives, neighbours, or fellow villagers. Such women are often ex-communicated, forced to leave villages, tortured by kangaroo courts, and in many cases killed. The real motives of such killings are often property disputes and ego clashes.

According to the Assam government figures, between 2011 and 2019, 107 people were killed across Assam in witch-hunting incidents. The latest such incident was reported in October when a 50-year-old widow and a 28-year-old man were killed in Karbi Anglong district.

“Though Rabha had been working for years on this, our work took concrete shape in 2012 with the setting up of Birubala Mission. We now have around 600 members across Assam and have saved lives of at least 200...” said Natyabir Das, an associate of Rabha.