Cuttack, March 10: Rise in cases of witch hunting, which are still going unreported in the state, have become a major concern for police. Hence, the state crime branch organised a special training programme on the Odisha Prevention of Witch Hunting Act here on Tuesday.

The training programme aims at sensitising the police officers about the effective implementation of the act in which there is a provision of imprisonment up to five years. The victim can also receive a full or partial compensation, as per the fine imposed under the act.

Despite the enactment of a special legislation against witch hunting, many of the officers are not aware of the Witch Hunting Act. Such cases are still being registered under Section 302 (murder charge) of the Indian Penal Code.

A senior crime branch official said a detailed strategy is being made to tackle the menace that has emerged as a major social evil. 'We are preparing a blue print to form a comprehensive roadmap to create awareness in the affected districts. It will be soon be submitted to the state government,' said additional director-general of police (crime branch) B.K. Sharma.

Though Odisha is the fourth state in the country after Bihar, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh to have special legislation against witch hunting from February 2014, a complete check on such violence has not been possible.

Official sources said that 17 districts that have rural and tribal pockets are witnessing such incidents of violence. The state has been witnessing over 15 to 20 murders per year on account of witch hunting and black magic related crimes.

At least four such incidents were reported over a period of one month between December 8, 2013, and January 16, 2014. As per available data, 56 persons were killed concerning to witch hunting activities in 2013 against 35 persons in 2012 and 39 in 2011.

Such superstitious practices are prevalent in the tribal dominated districts such as Mayurbhanj, Koraput, Sundargarh, Keonjhar and also in the costal belts of Ganjam.

Sharma said women are mostly targeted to be the victims. They are killed, their heads tonsured, faces blackened and ostracised in most cases.

The Odisha Prevention of Witch Hunting Act came into force in 2013 after social activist Sashiprava Bindhani had moved the high court seeking a law to curb such injustice in the state in 2011.

The Assembly had then passed the Odisha Prevention of Witch Hunting Bill prohibiting all forms of witch hunting from December 2013.