Dalit family ‘ostracised’ for marrying village head’s daughter in Jharkhand’s Dhanbad

RANCHI: In Jharkhand’s Dhanbad district, a Dalit family has reportedly faced ostracism following their son’s marriage to the daughter of a village head (mukhiya), police said on Wednesday.

In an effort to ensure their safety, the newlywed couple had to leave the village, while the groom’s parents allegedly encountered restrictions imposed by villagers.

These restrictions included being denied access to a public water tank for drinking water and being prohibited from using the village pond for bathing, as claimed by family members.

Furthermore, the parents of the groom have accused local shopkeepers of refusing to sell them essential food items.

This incident unfolded in a village situated within the Darida panchayat, falling under the jurisdiction of the Barora police station, approximately 200 kilometers away from the state capital Ranchi.Nandu Pal, the officer in charge of the Barora police station, confirmed that Mahendra Kalindi, the groom’s father, had filed a complaint detailing the ordeal of facing a social boycott enforced by fellow villagers.

“We are investigating the matter. Legal action will be taken if the complaint is found true as no one can be denied fundamental rights,” he said.

It all started after Karan Kalindi, who belongs to a Dalit family, married Darida panchayat mukhiya Parwati Devi’s daughter, and both of them reached Dhanbad Mahila police station last Thursday seeking police protection from their family members.

After police called both the families for talks, they accepted the marriage.

“When we returned to our village, local residents started to socially boycott us. The villagers came to our home and threatened us with dire consequences if the newly married couple was allowed in the village. They also stopped us from fetching drinking water, bathing in pond and taking food items from local shops,” groom’s mother Sumitra Devi alleged.

On Sunday, the groom’s family lodged a complaint against some villagers for boycotting them socially.

Parwati Devi, however, refuted the allegation of ostracism by the groom’s family.

“I have broken all my relations with my daughter. I have nothing to do with her. We live in a society and can’t stop any person from fetching drinking water and bathing in a pond. But, everyone has the right to say what is wrong and what is right,” she said.

Courtesy : TOI

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