NHRC Notice To Odisha Govt On Dalit Man Being Forced To Rub Nose In His Own Spit

New Delhi: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Friday issued a notice to Chief Secretary and sought a report, investigation status and statutory relief paid to a Dalit man, who was allegedly forced to rub his nose in his own spit in Odisha’s Kendrapada district, in six weeks.

Taking suo-motu cognizance of media reports on the incident, the rights panel said: “The issues raised are of a very serious nature and the right to dignity of the victims has been grossly violated.”

The incident took place on April 17 after Tikhiri sarpanch Chameli Ojha went to the home of Gurucharan Mallick, to collect donations for a temple. When 32-year-old Mallick refused to give money saying he had made a donation earlier, the sarpanch allegedly abused him and his wife, Rekha.

A meeting was convened on Sunday and the villagers were allegedly asked to boycott Mallick’s family. They also ordered the Dalit man to rub his nose in his own spit as a punishment, Rekha said in her complaint to Marshaghai police.

Police have booked Ojha and three others under Indian Penal Code Sections 143 (being member of an unlawful assembly), 342 (punishment for wrongful confinement), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (whoever intentionally insults) and 506 (criminal intimidation) and relevant sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

The sarpanch, however, refuted the allegations. “All these charges against me are untrue. No such incident happened,” he said.