Video Editors: Purnendu Pritam & Rahul Sanpui
“My mother had gone to ask for her right to the land. Instead, they branded her a 'witch' and eventually killed her," alleges 34-year-old Vinod Kherwar, son of Holo Devi, a widow in her late fifties who was brutally murdered by a mob of men and women in June 2022.
Holo Devi, a tribal woman from Ganeshpur village in Jharkhand's Lohardaga district, was the second wife of her husband. Her children allege that she was not only deprived of her rights while she was alive by the family of her husband's first wife but also allegedly killed by them over a property dispute. Her husband had died a few years ago.
Holo Devi's killing sheds light on the alarming trend of violence against women in the name of witchcraft in Jharkhand.
Police records over the past seven years reveal that at least 231 women have been murdered in the state following accusations of witchcraft and sorcery. In addition, around 4,500 cases related to allegations of witch hunting and sorcery have been registered.
"My mother was seeking her share of the property because we also have a right to our father's property. She believed that if we got our share, it would help support the education of our children. However, they simply refused to give us our rights and ousted my mother.”Vinod Kherwar
How Did it All Start?
Holo Devi got married about four decades ago. Her husband had five sons and one daughter from his first wife, and two sons and two daughters with Holo Devi.
A tragedy struck when one of Holo Devi's stepsons passed away earlier in 2022 due to illness. Instead of seeking medical intervention, the family turned to local faith healers. They failed to save his life.
"They went to the faith healers and practitioners. When they couldn't save him, they turned to my mother and started accusing her of witchcraft. During this time, they went to these practitioners again and then organised a meeting in the village on the morning of 9 June 2022. The meeting was held where the panchayat is usually held," Vinod recalled.
The family of Vinod's stepmother remained unavailable to talk to The Quint.
Meanwhile, police sources told The Quint that prominent people of the village were behind the meeting that led to the plan to kill Holo Devi.
"When we were called for the meeting, we obliged because we didn't know their agenda. As soon as we reached there, people surrounded my mother, and I was pushed aside,” Vinod recounted.
She was then abused by the people at the meeting – and questioned about how and where she learned witchcraft.
"My mother had no answer. How could she say anything when she was not a 'witch'?" Vinod said.
"They were not even allowing us to go near her. Neither were we allowed to get her water nor the food. How could we save our mother-in-law? The entire village had surrounded us, and were saying that if we tried to save her, they will kill us,” Vinod's wife Manti Devi told The Quint.
A Playbook Of Past Cases
What followed next was borrowed from the same playbook of cases of violence against women over witchcraft.
According to the post-mortem report, Holo Devi was first beaten with a stick, then poisoned using pesticide, and ultimately, put in a sack and thrown from a cliff.
Speaking to The Quint, Sengardang Police Station in-charge Anant Marandi said, "There was an atmosphere of excitement among the people when we reached Ganeshpur. The entire village confessed to killing her."
The Association for Social and Human Awareness Institute’s founder, Ajay Kumar Jaiswal, who has been working for the past several years to help eradicate the practice of witch-hunting in Jharkhand, said many times the allegations of witchcraft link back to property disputes.
"The victim's own family members and neighbouring villagers accuse her of witchcraft. First they press her to leave; if she retaliates or doesn't agree, then in some way or other, they find an opportunity to kill her,” he told The Quint.
He further added, "The women who are living alone, are widows, or are old, their own families accuse them of being 'witches' to grab their land or whatever is rightfully theirs."
This is the third part in The Quint's series The 'Witches' of Jharkhand. Watch the earlier two videos here:
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)