A kangaroo court in Nabarangpur district imposed social boycott on a family over a land dispute with some villagers.
The incident took place in Birsadi village under the Umarkote police limits. According to sources, the family members of Ganesh Ganda belonging to the Dalit community were ostracised.
The village committee’s ruling followed Ganda’s refusal to leave his house allotted under the Indra Awas Yojana on a plot under his possession since long.
But subsequently, another family claimed to be the owner of the plot and adjacent lands over which the house of Ganda was constructed.
He forced Ganda to vacate the land. On Ganda’s refusal to leave the house, his family members were subjected to social boycott with local shops being asked not to sell anything to them.
The family was also barred from fetching water from the local water body, said a villager on condition of anonymity. Further, the villagers made a fencing around the house of Ganda compelling his family to live a life in confinement.
Local human rights activist Rajana Burma, who visited the family, condemned the village committee’s act and said that it should be treated as violation of one’s fundamental right.“We all have certain fundamental rights given to us by our Constitution. If the rights are violated then it is the responsibility of everyone to protest it.”
“It is the duty of the administration to ensure that the rights are not violated,” said Burma. Local Tehsildar said he had no knowledge about the matter. Ganda said his family would move the StateHuman Rights Commission for justice.