Biro Bala Rabha

Biro Bala Rabha

Witch hunting is a social stigma in tribal North East India. If a child has ongoing health issues, many vulnerable mothers are accused of witchcraft, tortured and publicly humiliated. Not many women live to take a stand; between 150 to 200 women are condemned to death in a gruesome manner every year. Hailing from Golpara, a small village in Assam, Biro Bala Rabha is the exceptional crusader defending innocent women against this ill-fated superstition. Many years ago, a village doctor declared that her mentally ill son as possessed by evil and Biro was branded a witch. Concerned for her son, Biro went to see a doctor versed in modern medicine. As a result, the village turned against Biro Bala torturing her before forcing her to leave the village. A victim of this superstition, Biro now works with incredible determination to eradicate witchcraft from people’s mind through logic, sharing knowledge and and promoting education. Biro’s commitment to the cause and fearlessness are her most powerful weapons. She successfully enables other women in similar predicaments to fight this stigma and lead a normal life.

Operating with support from the Assam Mahila Samata Samily, Biro travels between villages, holding public meetings to convince communities to take collective decisions against the barbaric practice. Some cases of witchcraft, a result of land feuds, alcoholism, etc. have been settled in court. However, Biro’s hardest struggle is convincing the innocent women that they are not witches at all. With support from local police and district administration, she keeps track of witchcraft cases and works tirelessly to rehabilitate the victims.