The state government plans to move a Bill to fight the evils of black magic in the assembly’s winter session, will commence from December 5 in Nagpur.
The state government will move a Bill to fight the evils of black magic in the assembly’s winter session.
Chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh on Thursday held a meeting with opposition leaders to discuss the Bill. The winter session of the assembly will commence from December 5 in Nagpur.
In principle, all the parties gave their consent to the proposed Bill, but wanted some more time to study the parameters in detail.
A copy of the draft Bill that was circulated for discussion said, “The Bill seeks to bring social awakening and awareness in society and to create a healthy and safe social environment with a view to projecting the poor and ignorant people in society against the evil and sinister practices and customs thriving on blind faith and beliefs propagated in the name of god or some so called divine or supernatural or magical powers or evil spirits commonly known as black magic by so-called godmen, quacks and conmen with the sinister motive of exploiting and harming mentally, physically and financially the poor and ignorant people in the society and thereby destroying the social fibre of society.”
The 12 points listed in the draft clearly shows how the government wants to fight black magic. According to a senior official in the chief minister’s office (CMO), the government’s purpose is to ensure that human lives are not lost on account of blind beliefs in a progressive state like Maharashtra.
The parameters short-listed to define what is blind faith includes, “Tying an individual in chains and lashing him/her with sticks, torturing by pulling their hair, slapping with a wet shoe to exorcise ghosts.”
Individuals who lure people through black magic and extract money and spread terror will invite harsh punishments. Socially ostracising an individual under the pretext that she had brought “ill-luck” to the village or home will be strictly dealt with under the new law.
The chief minister expressed serious concerns over the incidents of children being killed or kidnapped in the name of sacrifices in local temples in remote villages. The practice of “tantrics” or “jadu tona” in the 21st century has also raised concerns. The government intends to take action against organisations practising black magic.
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