Three Adivasi schoolgirls sent home after witchcraft allegations in Jharkhands Latehar

New Delhi: Three Adivasi girls studying in Class 8 were allegedly sent home from a government school in Latehar, Jharkhand, after being accused of engaging in witchcraft. The incident unfolded only days after their admission, when classmates and some staff members allegedly began branding them as witches and blaming them for disturbances in the hostel.

The families said the girls were compelled to leave both the school and the hostel, and when they attempted to approach the administration around 10 days later, officials allegedly refused to take them back.

According to accounts reported by The Indian Express, relatives of one of the students said the school had called them late one evening and insisted that the child be taken home immediately, even though the family explained that it was too late to travel. The school later declined to keep her and asked the family to collect her transfer certificate.

As per the Indian Express report, it was said that the students had been repeatedly labelled as witches by their peers and some staff members, who accused them of troubling other hostel residents. The girls maintained that no such behaviour had occurred, and said the harassment had continued for nearly a fortnight.

Latehar Deputy Commissioner Utkarsh Gupta said an inquiry had been initiated and suggested the incident might stem from mischief among children. He said the girls had not been formally expelled from either the school or the hostel, but were sent home pending the inquiry report.

The families said that on November 16, school authorities informed them that the girls’ admissions would be revoked. All three students are currently at home, and no police complaint has been filed so far.

It was also reported that attempts to contact the headteacher for a response were unsuccessful, with calls and messages went unanswered.