DAAYAN

DAAYAN is an investigative study examining the persistence of witch-hunting in contemporary rural India. Moving away from treating these attacks as relics of folkloric superstition, the book frames them as deliberate, socio-economic crimes driven by material vulnerability, property disputes, and institutional absence.

Using an illustrative composite narrative of an elderly widow in the fictional village of Kuhia, the text deconstructs the systematic escalation of an accusation:

The Cycle of Accusation: The progression begins with an unexplained crisis (such as routine, treatable illness or lost livestock), shifts to suspicion fueled by old grudges, is legitimized by a local ritual healer (ojha), accelerates through collective mob pressure, and ends in communal silence.

The Arithmetic of Vulnerability: Persecution systematically targets older, isolated women, particularly widows lacking adult sons nearby, whose lack of social and legal defense makes them safe to remove without community reprisal.

Economic Motives: The investigation reveals that supernatural branding frequently masks predatory land grabs, especially when road construction or development suddenly makes a marginalized woman's plot valuable to male relatives or neighbors.

Institutional Breakdown & Reform: The book diagnoses systemic gaps-such as weak state laws, police reluctance, prolonged judicial delays, and underreported statistics-while advocating for grassroots interventions, including immediate revenue-record freezes, rapid healthcare diagnostics, and organized community early-warning networks.

Key Themes & Structural Breakdown

Global & Historical Scope: Contrasts modern incidents in India with historical parallels like Salem and early modern European witch hunts, noting that such persecutions subside when legal and judicial institutions stop entertaining unfounded accusations.

The Survivor Networks: Profiles grassroots resistance led by real-world advocates-such as Padma Shri awardees Chutni Mahato and Birubala Rabha-demonstrating how survivor solidarity and community intervention disrupt mob violence.

Practical District Playbook: Details an administrative blueprint centered on rapid police protocols, accessible primary health care, transparent land-registry monitoring, and public pledges to dismantle the normalization of violence.