Panchayat to impose penalty on branding woman witch

Mithai panchayat in Bihar`s Madhepura district has decided to impose a penalty of Rs 2,100 on anyone calling a woman a witch, panchayat chief (mukhiya) Madhumala said.

Madhepura (Bihar): Days after banning consumption of liquor, gambling and playing of obscene songs, a panchayat in Bihar`s Madhepura district has again cracked the whip -- this time against those branding any woman a witch.

The Mithai panchayat has decided to impose a penalty of Rs 2,100 on anyone calling a woman a witch, panchayat chief (mukhiya) Madhumala said. "We have taken a unanimous decision to protect dignity of our women in the panchayat and deter anyone from calling a woman a witch," she said. "It is yet another social evil in our society where women are subjected to harassment and cruelty in the name of being a witch," she said. The decision in this regard was taken days ahead of the festival of light - Diwali, the mukhiya said and hoped that the resolution will encourage people of her panchayat to help eradicate the age-old vice of harassment and ostracising of women after being branded witch. Madhumala justified deterrent steps saying the vice persisted despite a law being in place over the past 13 years to root it out. PTI