Baripada: A tribal family of five allegedly faced social ostracism for not serving ‘handia’ (traditional liquor) during a post-funeral feast at a village in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district.
It is a practice in various tribal societies to serve ‘handia’ to people attending the feast organised as part of the last rites.
The family members alleged that the villagers are not allowing them to take water from village ponds or tubewells or purchase groceries from shops.
Following a complaint lodged by the deceased man’s son, a police team visited the village and asked the villagers to sort out the matter within two days or face legal action.
Sources said Ram Soren of Kesapada village under Sarat Police Station limit died on March 27 and the members of the Santhal community observed the rituals according to tradition. Soren’s son Sangram organised a community feast a month later as per tradition on April 27.
However, he did not serve ‘handia’ in the feast to the villagers following which he, his wife Lachha and their three children have allegedly been socially boycotted.
In a complaint lodged at Sarat Police Station, Sangram and his wife accused the villagers of denying them access to resources like water from ponds or tubewells, and even to village grocery shops. “The villagers also stopped speaking to us. We are not even given work by the villagers making our life miserable,” Sangram’s wife Lachha Soren told reporters.
The couple has three children – a 13-year-old daughter and two sons aged 8 and 5 years.
She claimed that someone who spoke to them has been asked to pay a penalty of Rs 2,000 for violating the community’s social boycott order.
Sangram said, “My father was a habitual alcoholic for which he died early. We have seen tribal families getting ruined due to alcoholism. Therefore, I decided not to serve Handia in the feast.”
Sangram in his police complaint named three village seniors for ostracising his family.
Meanwhile, a team headed by Sarat Police Station in-charge Ramakanta Patra visited the village and discussed the matter with the villagers. If the matter is not resolved within the community members at the village level, the police might have to take legal action, Patra said.
