Assam: The northeastern state of Assam has for long been battling the menace of 'witchcraft' and consequent 'witch-hunting', but not many are aware of a woman, now in her 70's, from Thakurbhila - a remote village in western Assam's Golapara district - who has been silently doing her bid to rid the society of this centuries-old practise which often leads to social ostracization or brutal death of the victim.
Birubala Rabha, a school drop out, is a victim-turned-crusader who has been credited with saving many lives from falling prey to the evil practice of 'witch-hunting' through her organisation - Mission Birubala.
It is through her organisation that she has been holding campaigns across Assam and beyond to create awareness on the superstition attached to the evil practice.
She has also been instrumental in formulating the Assam Witch Hunting (Prohibition, Prevention and Protection) Act 2015, a significant law to wage a war against the social evil.
"We are trying to raise awareness on the superstition surrounding witch-hunting, and we hope to hold awareness camps wherein we demand education, health and eradication of corruption, " Rabha told ETV Bharat.
The social activist added, "My mission is to end the menace of witch-hunting. I will continue to fight against the menace till my last breath. We cannot create an equal society until we end this menace, which is inhuman."
Witch-hunter's son was once a victim of 'witch-hunting'
Rabha was 15 when she was forced to drop out of school and was married off to a farmer in Goalpara.
She had three children, but it was the youngest son who was labelled as a 'witch' by the villagers because of his illness.
In 1985, when her youngest son had a bout of typhoid, Rabha along with her husband took him to a village quack who suggested that the boy was under the spell of a fairy and would die in a day or two.
But days passed and her son eventually recovered, and it was around this time that she realised the fraudulence behind the 'witchcraft' and resolved to fight this evil practice crippling the society.
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"My son is still alive and is undergoing treatment in a hospital in Shillong for a mental disease that he has been suffering from,” said Rabha.
Mission Birubala
Braving attacks and ridicule, the indefatigable 70-year-old crusader has spoken at meetings, held awareness camps, and taught school lessons about the dastardly practice. She has stormed police stations and lobbied authorities demanding protection for the victims.
Initially, Rabha embarked on a solo mission to fight the menace of 'witch-hunting'. She would visit each such person labelled as a 'witch' and try to convince the other residents of the village not to ostracize the person in question while spreading awareness on the superstition behind the practice and ended up facing both verbal and physical abuse in the process
What began as a single woman's crusade, became a full-blown fight against the social evil with more and more joining in.
In 2001, Rabha established 'Mission Birubala' - which completes 19 years this year - which spreads awareness against witch-hunting and has been recognised the world over.
"In 2001, I, along with some others, founded 'Mission Birubala' to fight against these kinds of social evils. I cannot say that I have been successful in stopping it completely but the instances have reduced in the past 19 years. I have also received support from many other organisations now,” said Rabha.
"Beyond Assam, I have worked in states such as Manipur, Jharkhand, Odisha, Punjab and Bihar, " added the activist.
Awards and recognition
Rabha has been recognised and honoured by many organisations for her untiring fight against witch-hunting and in 2018 that she was awarded the 'Women’s World Summit Foundation' (WWSF) prize for women’s creativity in rural life.
Witch-hunting in Assam
According to a state Assembly report, 107 people were killed in "witch-hunting incidents" in Assam between 2011 and 2019 - 84 between 2011 and 2018 and 23 in 2019 (till October).
Of the 23 deaths reported last year, only six were from Upper Assam.
The highest number of witch-hunting deaths was recorded in the Bodoland Territorial Area Districts (BTAD).
In 2014, Debjani Bora, a javelin thrower who has won several gold medals, was brutally beaten after being branded a witch in her village in the remote hill district of Karbi Anglong in Assam.
She was branded as a 'witch' following the deaths of four people in her village.
The Indian athlete was dragged to a community prayer hall by the villagers to face a "public trial" on charges of being a 'witch'.
