Dungarpur , Feb 11 - A 50-year-old woman in Rajasthan's tribal-dominated Dungarpur district has complained to police that she was branded a witch, tortured and banished from her village, police said Saturday.

The incident took place in Orabara village in Dungarpur district, some 550 km from Jaipur, and a case has been registered against two villagers. Police say an inquiry has been ordered.

In her complaint, the woman, Raju Devi, said that a group of people broke open the door of her house Friday evening and started beating her.

"They held me by my hair and dragged me out, saying I was a 'dayan' (witch). Then they ordered me to leave the village immediately. My son, Ashok Damor, was also beaten up when he tried to intervene," she said.

A senior police officer told IANS that the villagers ostracised her, claiming that she was a 'dayan' (witch) and possessed by an evil spirit.

"She said that some villagers told her to leave the village immediately, failing which they threatened to torture her. She also alleges that she was harassed and beaten up several times in the recent past," he said.

The officer said that a first information report (FIR) has been registered against two villagers, Ramesh and Sohan Damor. "Some others were also involved. They are being identified. We are conducting raids," he added.

Many similar incidents of branding women as witches and torturing them have been reported from remote villages of Rajasthan.

The state women and child development department had a few months back proposed a stringent law against the practice of branding women as witches. However, the bill has not yet been presented in the state assembly.

According to the draft of the Rajasthan Women (Prevention and Protection from Atrocities) Bill, 2011, a crime would be considered to have been committed when any person or community intentionally or inadvertently abets, conspires, aids and instigates the identification of a woman as a witch, leading to her mental and physical torture and humiliation.

The bill has proposed a maximum of seven years' imprisonment and fine for those who grab the land of such women after forcing them to leave their houses.

If a woman commits suicide after being called a witch, the accused shall be given a prison sentence of not less than five years, which can be extended to 10 years, with a minimum fine of Rs. 25,000. The fine can be enhanced to Rs. 50,000, the bill draft says.

"The state government should introduce the bill soon to instil a sense of fear among people torturing women in such inhuman ways," said Nitisha Sharma of Inaya Foundation, a local NGO. (IANS)