For those who think witch-hunts are a thing of the past in India, here is the stark reality.Witchcraft was the motive cited for as many as 127 murders committed between 2012 and 2014 in Jharkhand alone.

NEW DELHI: For those who think witch-hunts are a thing of the past in India, here is the stark reality. Witchcraft was the motive cited for as many as 127 murders committed between 2012 and 2014 in Jharkhand alone.

Replying to a question in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, minister of state for home Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary quoted National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data to state that 26, 54 and 47 cases of "murder for witchcraft" were reported in Jharkhand in 2012, 2013 and 2014, respectively.

As per NCRB data for 2014, tribal-dominated Jharkhand accounted for over 30% of India's "murders for witchcraft", which stand at 156. Odisha, another state with a high concentration of tribals, reported 32 such murders, followed by MP with 24, and Chhattisgarh with 16.

