Odisha is drafting a comprehensive anti-witch-hunting policy that proposes special courts, time-bound trials, immediate rescue and rehabilitation of victims, and accountability for police officers who fail to register or properly investigate complaints.
Cases will be registered under the Odisha Prevention of Witch-Hunting Act, 2013, alongside provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and, where applicable, the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act,” said an official associated with drafting the policy. “Under the proposed policy, the state will establish special courts and deploy trained prosecutors to ensure time-bound trials for witch-hunting cases.
Another official associated with the policy drafting said the practice of witchcraft is not simply a manifestation of superstition but a structural problem linked to poverty, patriarchy, social exclusion, weak access to healthcare, land conflicts and lack of scientific awareness.
Between 2008 and 2023, Odisha recorded 315 witchcraft-related murders—the second-highest tally in India after Jharkhand—according to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data cited in the draft. Furthermore, a 2021 study by ActionAid India documented 147 witch-branding cases in Odisha between 2017 and 2021, with women accounting for more than 90% of victims.
