An FIR has been registered by a 42-year-old resident of Islampur taluka of Sangli district. The complainant belongs to Nandiwale community, a nomadic tribe. Six members of a Jaat Panchayat in Sangli district have been booked for alleged social boycott of families of 13 couples who have done inter-caste marriage and for also threatening to boycott others if they approached police against their decision.
An FIR has been registered by a 42-year-old resident of Islampur taluka of Sangli district. The complainant belongs to Nandiwale community, a nomadic tribe. The FIR has been registered at Palus police station in Sangli district under the provisions of Maharashtra Protection of People from Social Boycott (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2017 and sections of Indian Penal Code pertaining to unlawful assembly.
A police officer from Palus police station said that six persons booked in the offence had organised a Jaat Panchayat meeting on the afternoon of January 9 at Sangdewadi village where a decision was taken to boycott the families of the couples who have married out of their caste in the past few years. The Panchayat members also threatened to boycott anyone who went to the police against its decision.
Inspector Vikas Jadhav, in-charge of Palus police station said, “Till now, a total of 13 couples, who have got married over the past few years and have been boycotted by the Jaat Panchayat, have approached us. We have booked six persons who had organised the Jaat Panchayat and passed the decision.” Officials said that if more couples approach them with complaints, their names will be incorporated in the case.
The Maharashtra Protection of People from Social Boycott (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, a legislation which bans the caste panchayats and other practices of social boycott was enacted in 2017 after extensive campaign led by Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti, founded by Dr Narendra Dabholkar.
Speaking to The Indian Express, the 42-year-old complainant, who is a building painter said, “I got married in 2007 and have since been ostracised from the community for marrying out of my caste. There are many others like me who have faced this. On December 26 last year, several members of the community, who realised that this boycott was wrong, held a meeting at Pachwad in Sangli and took a decision to take us back into the community. However, there were many who did not agree to this. Six of them held a meeting at Sangdewadi on January 9 and against took a decision to ostracise those who have married inter-caste.”
The complainant added, “Meanwhile, many like me had started coming together through a social media group and decided to approach Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti. Their members then helped us file a complaint with the police. We also met senior police officers and subsequently an FIR was filed. We believe that this legal action and more works towards creating awareness help abolish such practices.”
- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards.
