Darkness surrounding black magic

Superstitions make people do things that they haven’t even dreamt of—thanks to black magic and witchcraft.

Manasvi Gupta

Witchcraft/ sorcery and human sacrifice crimes, registered under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 302, 303 and 307, have increased four-folds (till September) since last year, according to the Crime Statistics.

Lakshya, a resident of Marathalli, whose family member had been a victim of black magic several times, believes in its power and that strict measures need to be taken against such practices.

He said, “I don’t want any person to go through that torture. Jealousy and other conflicts give way to these inhuman practices. I want to stay away from all this negativity.”

“Having studied science, I don’t believe in superstitions, although many of my relatives do, and awareness needs to be spread against this,” he added.

A number of sorcerers present in the city charge around Rs. 6,500 initially for performing their art, it can go up to a whopping of 5-10 lakh rupees also.

A black magic specialist said, “I have been in this profession for 35 years now, and haven’t heard of any law against it. In fact, my clientele includes engineers, doctors, lawyers, collectors and even police officials.”

“I provide my services for all kinds of issues depending on the client. The type of solution they demand determines my fees,” added the sorcerer.

The demand for black magic is soaring, as more people are preferring online and convenient services provided to them through various social media handles.

A thriving industry feared by everyone, continues to expand exponentially despite the introduction of The Karnataka Prevention And Eradication Of Inhuman Evil Practices And Black Magic Act, 2017. Also called the ‘Anti-Superstition Bill,’ it provides imprisonment for a term not less than one year which may extend to seven years, and with a fine not less than Rs. 5000 which may extend to Rs. 50,000.

An Inspector in City Crime Records Bureau, Bengaluru said that the law has not been implemented yet and that people nowadays are indulging more in superstitious practices.

“The industry is thriving more in the rural areas and the police in those areas run awareness programs against the prevalence of inhumane practices. Practices like ‘Nidhi’ also add up to the crimes”, he added.

Nidhi is a superstitious belief where a human sacrifice can help one figure out the location of a treasure, which was previously untraceable.

News claiming the ban of lemons and other stuff related to black magic in Vidhan Soudha, surfaced in July. The reports said that the officials believed that black magic practices are being carried out on the premises.

Kapil Dixit, a High Court lawyer, said, “I have received around four cases in the past three years from within the city. Crimes due to black magic have increased but are generally not reported. This may be because people don’t file complaints against such crimes. They cannot confirm if the incident occurred due to black magic.”

“Even lawyers refrain from taking up such cases because there is no evidence but mere assumptions. Therefore they are almost impossible to prove,” he added.

Tanvi, a resident of Bellandur believes in the power of black magic and has been a witness to one such incident.

She said, “Occultists are pursuing their profession just like everyone else. They are still there in the market because the demand exists. It is harmful and needs to be eradicated only if it poses a grave threat. Unethical practices are prevalent in every profession, but I don’t believe much effort needs to be put to stop it.”