Koraput tribals resort to Black magic to get rid of 'unknown disease'

Koraput, Nov. 4 : Tribals in Orissa's Koraput district are resorting to black magic and superstitions to get cured from the spell of an unknown disease, which the doctors are yet to identify.

Recently, five children succumbed to this unknown disease in which patients complain of pain in stomach.

"We took the patient to Koraput hospital. We don''t know what is the name of the disease, as the doctors there couldn''t identify it. So, therefore we took the help of the black magician in our village and children are getting cured by the treatment offered to them," said Padam, a villager.

Tribes like Gadba, Bonda, Duria, Kandha and Bhuya still depend on black magic treatments.

Despite scientific advancements a large chunk of the population of India still remains trapped in time and space and has hardly moved into the modern scientific age. They still follow superstitions prevailing since ages.

The irrational beliefs are attributed to lack of education and awareness.

The tribals are the poorest and most marginalized community in India, with the worst social and health indicators. They constitute around 8 percent of the country''s total population of 1.1 billion.

In Orissa, there are 62 distinct tribal groups, making it the largest collection of tribal people in a single state in the country.

--ANI