Asia

India: Odisha woman tortured for witchcraft, two held

A man and his wife were arrested Monday in Odisha‘s Ganjam district for torturing their daughter-in-law for allegedly practicing sorcery, police said. Read more here 

India: Tribal woman branded witch

UDAIPUR: Yet another case of a tribal woman being abused and beaten up by gangs on allegations of witch craft has drawn attention of the district administration here. A 20-year-old married woman from Malva Ka Choura village of Bekariya in Kotra tehsil adjoining the Gujarat border, has been allegedly beaten up by a group of men who branded her as a witch. Read more here 

Bahrain: Bahrain Urged to Crack Down on Black Magic

An official in Bahrain has demanded that his government take steps to warn its citizens about the dangers of witchcraft and crack down on its practice. Read more here 

India: Human sacrifice: Tantrik, 5 others held

The Valiv police arrested a tantrik and five men, who allegedly performed human sacrifice by beheading a woman last month. The men were arrested Friday, the same day when the state Assembly passed the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and Other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Bill, during the winter session at Nagpur. Read more here 

India: Minister Cites Figure of Cases of Atrocities Against Women

Minister reports details of 2013 witchcraft cases in Assam here 

India: Murder witness branded witch, gang-raped by villagers in Chhattisgarh

RAIPUR: Even as the country was paying tributes to Nirbhaya, another woman was allegedly gang-raped in public at a village in Janjgir-Champa district on Sunday night. The survivor, who belongs to a scheduled caste family, was dragged out of her residence by her hair, by a group of 18-20 people including women, beaten and gang-raped by the men who also tagged her ‘tonhi’— woman who practiced black magic (witchcraft). Read more here

India: Two arrested in Pune’s first black magic case

In the first case registered in Pune under the newly passed Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and Other Inhuman, Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act, 2013, the Vishrantwadi police have arrested two persons including a woman for practising witchcraft. Read more here 

India: Woman burns infant son to appease deity

Sivasagar, Dec. 24: A woman killed her five-month-old son as a religious sacrifice to appease a deity at Sonari town in Sivasagar district, about 360km from Guwahati.

Ranju Devi, 25, believed that sacrificing her child Laxman Saha would eradicate ill luck from the family. “She observed a ritual on Monday midnight at her home and burned her son to death. The baby was placed in a fireplace erected during the ritual,” a source said. Read more here 

Nepal: Woman killed over ‘witchcraft’ in Capital

KATHMANDU, DEC 27 – A woman was murdered over witchcraftaccusation in the Capital. Basanti Maharjan,42, was found murdered and buried in the house of her brother-in-law on Tuesday night, four days after she was reported missing. Read more here 

Kurdistan: Kurdish spiritual healer warns from demons and jinn invasion to Kurdistan

Kurdish spiritual healer Mullah Ali Kalak , warned on Sunday that large numbers of demons have came to Kurdistan region and concentrated in Sulaymaniyah city that will provoke people to commit suicide , murder and adultery . More here