Shillong, Nailar 21: Meghalaya must Enact the Anti Superstition Law and it is the duty bound of the Government to mandatory comply its legal obligations in fostering the respect for human rights under Article 51 of the Constitution of India, so that such Legislative Act are in compliance with the core human rights jurisprudence under the International Law” said MPHRC Chairperson, Dino D. G. Dympep.
Condemning the recent incidents that took place at Smit incident in which three people were hacked to death by an angry mob for allegedly practicing withcraft, we strongly urges the Government to prevent, punish and prosecute individuals who accuse peoples of being superstitious or witches and committing the crimes such as torture and murder, torture itself a clear violation of human rights said MPHRC.
“Expressing its serious concern on the practice of superstition and other witchcraft related cases, in India there is a combination of national and state level laws that, theoretically, should cover the acts and behavior of the perpetrators. However in the absent of the Anti Superstitions legislation in Meghalaya, their effectiveness has been blunted by poor enforcement and insufficient penalties” said MPHRC Chairperson Dino D. G. Dympep.
While recognizing the severity of the Problem, Meghalaya must enact a law that protect those victims from the deprivation of their right to life, the right to be free from cruel and inhuman treatment, the right to security, to provide for effective remedies for violations of these integral human rights and at the same time to further study the root causes of the problem and to eliminate the manifestations once and for all said MPHRC.
“Noting that the state obligations required not only measures of protection but also affirmative action is immediately required to ensure the positive enjoyments of rights, the Government must ensure that the practice of extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions is brought to an end through an effective prophylactic affirmative measures to prevent, combat and eliminate the phenomenon in all forms and manifestations said Chairperson, Dino D. G. Dympep.(SP News)
