Social Activists Allege: Superstition Was Behind the Dokmoka Lynching

Amid protests across Assam against the lynching of the two young men in Karbi Anglong, social activists have protested against the prevalence of superstition in Assam. Nilotpal Das's father, Gopal Chandra Das met with Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Monday and appealed to drive out superstition from Assam. The CM has ordered a drive to be launched within a week.

Assam has a problem with superstitious beliefs. There have been more than 80 instances of killing witches in Assam since 2006. Then, there is Mayong, a village regarded by many in Assam to be the epicentre of 'black magic' in the state. Some of the stories surrounding Mayong suggest that the black magic practitioners turn people into animals. Scientifically, turning people into animals is impossible, but it is not easy to shake such deep-seated beliefs.

Read More: Assam Lynching: Rumours and State Legitimacy

On Sunday, the Ellora Vigyan Mancha, a forum against superstition, alleged that the BJP government in Assam was propagating superstition through promotion of vaastu shastraand other 'unscientific' activities such as worshipping rivers through events such as Namami Brahmaputra and Namami Barak. The Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) alleged a conspiracy on the part of the BJP government to spread such rumours and 'communalise' the state ahead of the NRC publication. The NRC is to be published at the end of the month.

The two men, Nilotpal Das and Abhijit Nath were lynched by a mob of around 250 people in Dokmoka in Karbi Anglong. The duo were suspected by the mob of being xopadhara(child abductors) that, according to social media posts, were on the prowl. 

The incident has resulted in a backlash against Karbis living across the state. On Friday, local news alleged that NSUI members were looking for Karbis in Nagaon to exact revenge. The police have arrested five people in connection to this, though it is not clear whether they are NSUI members or not. However, it is reported that many Karbis are fleeing different parts of the state in order to avoid being attacked.

On Monday, the Coordination Committee of the Tribal Organisations of Assam (CCOTOA) urged people of the state not to target the Karbi community. The committee denounced the lynching, and called for exemplary punishment for the perpetrators.