Patna, Sept 24: Union minister of state for human resource development, Sanjay Paswan, held a function here on Monday to honour traditional exorcists — ojhas, gunis and bhagats. It was formally supposed to be a function to mark the birth anniversary of the late Bhola Paswan Shastri, a former chief minister of Bihar. Around 1,000 ojhas, gunis and bhagats from all over the state danced to the beats of drums in the air-conditioned auditorium, filled with smoke coming out of the hawan fire. A few of them wielded swords.
The minister joined them in the dance. Some of them recited chants to keep away ghosts and witches; a few walked on fire. The function was attended by several other BJP leaders, including state party chief Nand Kishore Yadav.
It invited criticism from various quarters. A lawyer, Shruti Singh, has filed a complaint at the area police station, saying the honouring of exorcists breaches the Bihar State Witchcraft Prevention Act, 1999. For, the role of traditional exorcists has often been decried; in Jharkhand, an estimate says many women are killed every year after being branded as witches by these people. The Mahila Jagran Kendra has also asked for the minister`s arrest. It says such functions promote superstition, noting in many areas, women are tortured, stripped and even killed after being branded as witches. They`ve said they`ll take the matter to court. The minister defended the idea of holding the function. "These are ancient practices. Long ago when the universities of Takshshila, Nalanda and Vikramshila were functional, they were taught as a compulsory subject," said Paswan. He said he was trying to build a bridge between ancient practices and modern science. Ojhas, gunis and bhagats still play a role in rural Bihar, he noted.