An Odisha woman is forced to stay confined to her house after the locals branded her a witch. The 63-year-old, Nayak Kumari from Kadapada village in Ganjam district has a medical condition called Polydactyly which is an innate physical anomaly in humans and animals resulting in supernumerary toes or fingers or both.

Kumari comes from a poor background and couldn’t afford to get the extra toes and fingers surgically removed. The superstitious locals also keep away from her.

“I was born with this defect and could not be treated because I belong to a poor family. The superstitious residents nearby believe I am a witch and keep away from me,” reported India Today.

A neighbour sympathetic to the woman’s condition, said, “This is a small village and people here are superstitious and so they treat her like a witch. She has a medical condition and cannot do anything about it. She cannot even afford the treatment.”

The rare genetic mutation occurs in 1 in 1,000 births in the general population. It can be removed using simple surgery.

The Logical Indian Take

The existing superstition in the village has barred, the woman to move freely which is a reflection of poor health services present in places away from the mainstream along with the faulty education system.

The unfortunate incident reminds us of the stark reality still existing in rural India. Despite the literacy rate in India climbing, the development of scientific temper mentioned in the Article 51A of the Indian constitution has taken a backseat.

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