India's witch hunts

For many, witch trials may seem like a relic of early colonial America. But in fact witch-hunting is still a feature of rural life today in many some of the world.

One place where it's prevalent is India. On average, an Indian woman is killed every other day after being accused of witchcraft, according to government statistics. Many are tortured or publicly-humiliated before being burned, stabbed or beaten to death.

On this edition of Global Journalist, a look at the practice of witch-hunts in India, and why the phenomenon isn't merely an outgrowth of superstition.

• Ashwaq Masoodi, a journalist for an Indian business daily in New Delhi
• Mahdu Mehra, executive director of Partners for Law in Development, an Indian women's rights group
• Shashank Sinha, an author and historian who is publishing director of Routledge India
• Seema Yasmin, a journalist and John S. Knight fellow at Stanford University