BHUBANESWAR: Odisha Human Rights Commission on Thursday directed all the district Collectors and SPs to submit a report within four weeks regarding the steps taken under the State Government’s composite action plan framed for preventing witch hunting in the State.Human Rights activist Biswa Priya Kanungo and Bijay Kumar Panda approached the Commission on Thursday demanding formation of an expert committee to evaluate the steps taken by the authorities under the composite action plan.
The activists also urged OHRC to direct the authorities for providing Rs 50 lakh compensation to the kin of the woman, who was allegedly lynched by a mob in Sundargarh district recently over the suspicion of practicing witchcraft.According to Odisha Crime Branch (CB), 99 cases of witch hunting were registered in the State in 2017 compared to 83 in 2016 and 58 in 2015. The maximum number of witch hunting cases were registered in Mayurbhanj, Nabarangpur and Keonjhar districts.