Guwahati, India - Confronted with a surge in incidents of witch hunting, authorities in Assam are giving the police lessons to tackle the social evil.
Another ticklish issue in a state where insurgency has wreaked havoc for close to three decades is the barbaric tradition of hounding people in villages on charges of practising sorcery. At least 250 people have been killed by rural mobs in the past five years for allegedly practising witchcraft.
'This is indeed a real big problem for us. The recurring incidents of killing people for allegedly practising witchcraft sends a wrong signal to people outside the region,' Assam Inspector General of Police Kula Saikia told IANS.
The latest incident was reported a fortnight ago where five people of two families were hacked to death by mobs in the western district of Kokrajhar after being accused of indulging in witchcraft.
Given the rising trend, the police have intensified their special drive to curb this heinous crime.
Codenamed Project Prahari (Vigilant), the crusade includes community policing, besides regular awareness campaigns among tribal chiefs and village elders.
'We will soon launch a special campaign to educate our police force - from constables to sub-inspectors and inspectors - so that they are able to tackle social problems,' said Saikia, who heads Project Prahari.
'The battle against witch hunting is a challenging task for the security forces. So we will like to include schools and colleges in our campaign.'
Superstitious beliefs, black magic and demonology are integral to tribal customs in parts of Assam, Tripura and other northeastern states.
Several tribal communities practise indigenous faiths, believed to be a mix of black magic and superstition, which are used to treat ailments or cast evil spells on adversaries.
'Most cases are inspired by superstition. It is shocking to hear about such incidents in this modern world,' said S.I. Ahmed, a community healthcare expert.
The victims are often killed very brutally.
'In one incident five people were awarded capital punishment by Bodo tribals after they were tried in a village court on charges of practising witchcraft and sorcery. After their heads were chopped off, the villagers buried the corpses in the forest,' police official D. Das said.
The victims belonged to two families and their murder orphaned 11 children.
The police campaign is now focusing on educating villagers and holding meetings in areas dominated by tribals where this primitive practice of witchcraft is still going strong.
'Simply enforcing the law and punishing the guilty are inadequate. There has to be an attitudinal change,' Saikia said.
Giving a helping hand to the efforts by the police are several influential civil society groups in Assam, especially those working in tribal inhabited areas.
'It is high time for us to wake up and fight this social evil. We on our part have been mobilising public opinion in remote areas to eradicate this criminal practice,' said Rabiram Narzary, a Bodo tribal leader.