Soumitro Banerjee, general secretary, Breakthrough Science Society, and former director, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata (IISER Kolkata), has underscored the importance and need for effective legislation to tackle superstition and its harmful effects on people.
The focus of such legislations should primarily be on protecting gullible people from bodily harm as well as preventing them from being fleeced by unscrupulous elements in the name of superstitious beliefs, Prof. Banerjee told The Hindu on Saturday.
“Initially, an anti-superstition movement should target these and not personal superstitions as one person’s religion could be perceived as another’s superstition. Rather, they (anti-superstition bills) should focus on practices – astrology for example – where people stand to lose money because some people are taking advantage of them,” Prof. Banerjee said. “That is one target area. The other is preventing people from being physically harmed on account of superstitions,” he said, citing the scourge of ‘witch hunts’ as an example.
Prof. Banerjee’s remarks come at a time when incidents such as the 2022 Elanthoor human sacrifice case and the more recent ‘Samadhi’ controversy in Neyyattinkara, Thiruvananthapuram, have garnered wide public interest and sparked outrage in Kerala. The State is also yet to pass the proposed Kerala Prevention of Eradication of Inhuman Evil Practices, Sorcery, and Black Magic Bill, 2019.
Education being a subject in the Concurrent List, the State government has a role in ensuring that the education system imparts scientific temper, he said. “Why are people superstitious despite being literate? Kerala is a very literate State. Yet you have (issues related to) superstitions. Just being literate or just going through the education system does not give one scientific temper. That is the weakness of our education system,” he said.
He observed that, across the country, social movements against superstitious beliefs are still confined to pockets. This is one area where the Breakthrough Science Society has been focusing on, he said.
Renewable energy potential
An electrical engineer by training, Prof. Banerjee urged Kerala to tap its renewable energy potential to the fullest rather than opt for building nuclear power plants. The storage and disposal of nuclear wastes pose major challenges globally, he said, affirming the Breakthrough Science Society’s opposition to nuclear power plants. Prof. Banerjee’s comments gain relevance in the context of the debate on the viability of building a nuclear power plant in Kerala to address the State’s long-term energy needs. He also urged the State to go in for Pumped Storage Projects (PSP) as part of the efforts to build energy security.
Published – January 18, 2025 07:00 pm IST
