Hinjilicut: A kangaroo court ostracized a man and his family members and slapped a penalty of Rs 5,500 on them after their married daughter refused to give up her job and stay at home with her husband at Badakhandi village under this block in Ganjam district, a report said.
The victim was identified as Nadi Bhagban and his wife Nadi Rajeshwari in the village. The village committee announced their decision July 4 by beating gongs in the village.
Left with no other choice, the couple vacated their home and now staying with their youngest daughter Mamata at her workplace in Gajapati district.
People in the village have stopped talking to them. Their farmland has remained uncultivated as labourers refused to work due to fear of punishment from the village committee. Their only son in the absence of earnings has left home leaving the elderly couple alone at home. The order of the village committee came into force July 4.
Bhagaban has exhausted all options to get the ban lifted. The couple has written to the Chief Minister, Ganjam Collector, SP and senior district officials to help them live in their village with dignity. However, their pleas are yet to be addressed. Sources said the couple, residents of Badakhandi village, is parents of three daughters and a son. The youngest of the three daughters, Mamata, is married in the same village and works as an assistant teacher at a government residential girls’ high school at Lakshmipur in neighbouring Gajapati district.
However, things took an ugly turn after Mamata had a fight with her husband over some issue. Her husband and in-laws brought the matter before the village committee.
The committee conducted a hearing and directed Mamata to give up her service and stay at home with her husband as a housewife, June 15. Mamata was taken aback by the decision but refused to bow down.
Her refusal to abide by the decision of the village committee infuriated the latter so much so that that they called another meeting and ostracised her parents from the village July 3.
The villagers even threatened to punish the couple for their daughter’s refusal to abide by their decision. The village committee announced the decision in the village by beating gongs July 4.
The couple also lodged a complaint against the villagers at the Hinjili police station the same day. The Hinjili police tried to seal a compromise between the villagers and the couple but in vain as the latter refused to budge from their decision. When contacted, Hinjili IIC Abhimanyu Dash said he is trying to resolve the dispute but will certainly take action if things do not improve.