Lawyer and leading activist in New Delhi, Ms Madhu Mehra, told INSIGHT: “They’re accused by neighbours, by extended family members. We have seen a couple of cases where the man remarried and his children accused the stepmother of witchcraft.”
Family disputes over property, land rights of women and gender conflicts tend to be factors that lead to women being labelled as witches.For example, a woman who voices her opinions, who refuses sexual advances, or whose harvests turn out better than her neighbours’, tend to be most at risk of being labelled witches, say experts.
“When the woman is a widow or does not have a son, or husband has left her, or even if she is living in her father’s house but does not have a brother, people hatch schemes to get hold of the property. And we have also seen that when a woman is vocal, when she talks too much or has leadership qualities, the woman is branded a witch in order to control her,” said Ms Sachi Kumari, a social worker and activist who has saved many such victims.
The sinister truth behind India’s 'witch' killings - Channel NewsAsia
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