Assam Assembly Passes Bill Banning Magical Healing Practices

Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the bill does not ban traditional healing practices, but the bill tries to curb the healing practices with hidden motives.

Digital Desk: In a bid “to bring social awakening in the society and to create healthy, science-based knowledge and safe social environment to protect human health against the evil and sinister practices,” Assam Assembly passed the Assam Healing (Prevention of Evil) Practices Bill, 2024 on Monday.

The Act seeks to do away with “the non-scientific healing practices with ulterior motives for exploiting the innocent people and thereby destroying the fiber of the public health of the society.”

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pijush Hazarika introduced the bill on behalf of Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is responsible for home affairs.

Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the bill does not ban traditional healing practices, but the bill tries to curb the healing practices with hidden motives. Pointing at Badaruddin Ajmal’s use of healing practices during the election campaigns, he said, “When he (Ajmal) goes in an election meeting and starts offering to drink water while sitting on the stage, it is an ulterior motive.”

The Bill suggested outlawing both the practices and their promotion that fall within these categories. “No person shall take part in any sort of advertisement relating to any kind of medicine, remedy directly or indirectly relating to any false claim to cure diseases through healing practices,” the Bill says.

The Bill suggested a fine of Rs. 50,000 in addition to a sentence of one to three years in prison for infractions. The suggested punishment for repeat offenders is a fine of Rs. 1 lakh and a maximum sentence of five years.

The bill clearly defines both ‘evil practices’ and ‘healing practices’. Evil practice is defined as “commission of any act of healing practices and magical healing, by any person, with a sinister motive to exploit common people.” The healing practices as “a traditional holistic approach to heal body, mind and spirit of human being with traditional medicine and art including any system, treatment, diagnosis, or practise for ascertainment, cure, relief, correction of any human diseases, ailment, deformity, injury or enhancement of a condition or appearance.”