Anti-superstition activists counsel family which accused neighbours of black magic

Members of the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti MANS Maharashtra Superstition Eradication Committee visited Dehed village in Bhokardan tehsil on Monday and spoke to the family, said an activist.Madhukar Gaikwad, secretary of the MANS Jalna unit, said they learnt that a family in Dehed had claimed that their neighbours had performed black magic on them.Members of the family often fell sick, their cow had stopped giving milk, and when they consulted a local godman, he told them that their neighbours were responsible for these things, Gaikwad said.

Anti-superstition activists have succeeded in settling a dispute by convincing a family in Maharashtra's Jalna district that `black magic' is a myth and they should not harbour suspicion towards their neighbours. Members of the Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (MANS) (Maharashtra Superstition Eradication Committee) visited Dehed village in Bhokardan tehsil on Monday and spoke to the family, said an activist.

Madhukar Gaikwad, secretary of the MANS Jalna unit, said they learnt that a family in Dehed had claimed that their neighbours had performed black magic on them.

Members of the family often fell sick, their cow had stopped giving milk, and when they consulted a local `godman', he told them that their neighbours were responsible for these things, Gaikwad said. The family began to blame the neighbours who, fed up of the accusations of black magic, approached police and sent a copy of the complaint to the MANS, he said. ''We contacted investigating officer Akhtar Shaikh. With the help of police, the MANS conducted counselling sessions with the family. The family was convinced (that there is no such thing as black magic). We also held a meeting with the villagers to make them aware of the dangers of irrational beliefs and their impact on individuals and society,'' Gaikwad added. During the meeting, MANS activist Shankar Barde also demonstrated how the charlatans who claim to possess divine powers perform various tricks to earn people's trust and exploit them, he said.