Shocked by the reported brutal torturing and burning alive of a young woman on sorcery accusations on February 6, Hindus are urging Papua New Guinea to come up with a strong legislation to deal with growing sorcery-related killings. According to reports, a 20-year old mother of one was burned alive in front of hundreds of people in Papua New Guinea on the accusation of using sorcery to kill a boy aged six years. Distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that this barbaric act was highly unacceptable in the 21st century world. Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, suggested Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter Charles Paire O'Neill to take this issue seriously and besides tougher legislation, also launch an educational campaign in the country. Papua New Guinea religious leaders should also help in raising awareness, Zed added. Moreover, Papua New Guinea also needed to do serious soul searching on the treatment of women, Rajan Zed noted. BN
