Doomdooma: Police arrested Jahur Ali of Balijan under Juria Police Station in Assam’s Nagaon district, who is popularly known on social media as “Pagla Baba”, for allegedly practising occult activities and claiming to have supernatural healing powers, police said on Saturday.
Nagaon Police said legal action was initiated under the Assam Healing (Prevention of Evil Practices) Act, 2024, along with other provisions of law.
Police said the action was aimed at preventing the exploitation of vulnerable people through fraudulent, unscientific and prohibited practices.
“The Nagaon Police reiterates its commitment to prevent exploitation of vulnerable persons through fraudulent, unscientific and prohibited practices,” police said.
The Assam Healing (Prevention of Evil Practices) Act, 2024, was enacted to promote science-based knowledge and protect people from non-scientific healing practices carried out with exploitative motives.
The law applies across Assam and covers magical and deceptive healing practices. Assam has also enacted laws and policies to address witch-hunting and related practices.
The state introduced a law against witch-hunting in 2018 and a policy in 2025 aimed at combating witch-hunting and human trafficking.
Officially reported witch-hunting cases declined after the 2018 law. However, Assam Police data recorded 32 cases between 2022 and 2024.
Authorities and social organisations have called for scientific awareness, accessible healthcare and community-level intervention to address such practices.