Evil custom threatens to split MP community

Bhopal: An age-old custom which treats a section of women as social pariah after branding them as “witches” has threatened to split a community in rural Madhya Pradesh villages, with the victims of the evil practice raising a banner of revolt against the inhuman customs.

Around 1,500 women and girls of the Khadag Patidar community living in two dozen villages in the districts of Shajapur and Rajgarh in MP have been treated as social pariah by the members of the community for being born to mothers who were considered “inauspicious”.

“The female members who have been declared social pariah have decided to oppose the custom tooth and nail, causing frictions between them and other women members of the community who refused to accept them as ones among them,” Madhya Pradesh Patidar Samaj general secretary Vishnu Patidar told this newspaper.

His wife and two daughters are also victims of the custom.

As per custom, the women declared “witches” will not be allowed to serve food to other members of the families and are barred from attending auspicious occasions such as marriage.

Society president Mahendra Narayan Patidar has earlier initiated a move to bring the victims to the mainstream of society by trying to convince the other women members of the community not to treat them as pariah. “But, other women members have refused to accept the victims”, he said.

The victims have earlier been able to convince at least their own family members to treat them with dignity and accept food from them. However, some leaders of the community wooed them away fearing that the population of ‘witches’ would grow leading the community to automatically do away with the practice.

“We have moved National Human Rights Commission as well as the Madhya Pradesh Women Commission seeking justice for the victims,” Mr Patidar said.