Bini Dahal

It is ironic how witch-doctors and shamans are a household name in most remote areas of Nepal. Whenever we are ill, our strong religious faith takes us before a witch-doctor way faster than a real doctor. But there lies an underlying issue – wrong and scary treatment. In the name of healing, such practices are still in vogue. Sometimes they turn quite harassing and traumatising for general public.

Recently, a woman was mercilessly harassed by three men who were shamans and monks. A video with some photos of the same was uploaded to the social networking sites and they got viral within hours. The woman had reached her maternal house for the total worship. So, in the process of worship, these shamans had posed as an incarnation of God and had abused her. They had forced her to lick their feet, asking her to apologise them without any reason and forced her to touch her head to the ground.

Despite such a disgusting type of atrocity, the victim did not lodge the case. She clearly believes that calling the shamans was for her own sake. She was not feeling well and believed they could help find a cure for her. She might have thought it was a part of the worship process. Though no case was lodged from the side of the victim, the police received orders from the court for the same. Then, all the three got arrested. The shamans have confessed to their wrongdoings but have cited their behaviour to be a result of god entering into the body.

Had the video not gone viral, that group of fake healers would have continued popularising their treatment techniques all around the village. And no one would have said anything. As long as we ourselves don’t know what is wrong in our thinking and how we are suffering, we cannot seek justice. This is when society and its various actors play a key role. Our mind is strongly grappled by religion and god. This is being used as leverage by many people who have turned it into their business. But it is indeed a matter of great surprise.

After all, what is the basis of their treatment? Which textbooks have they gone through? It is more like going by the gut feeling. One or other techniques might satisfy the individuals and even sometimes cure them. But this is rare and it is more of an addition to a probably deteriorating physical health combined with worsened mental condition. The local human rights activists have to be appreciated for showing their immediate concerns over the matter. The police too are actively involved in the investigation, even though the victim and her family are not ready to lodge a case against the shamans.

This shows that despite numerous harms associated with social media, some level of goodness still exists. Meting out a strict punishment to these perpetrators will be a lesson for others who try to play with people’s sentiment for their own benefit. It will also be an eye-opener for the general public. We no longer should be happy if a traditional healer performs strange tactics to get us cured. In many cases, we might just be getting scammed!