A tribal couple in southern Odisha were allegedly forced to plough a field and then expelled from their village for marrying in defiance of community
norms.
The alleged incident took place on Tuesday at Kanjamajodi village under Shikarpai panchayat in Kalyansinghpur block of Rayagada district, about 550km from Bhubaneswar.
The incident came to light after a video of the couple ploughing land went viral.
The couple, Kadia Saraka and Laku Saraka, are from the same community and are blood. Both work as labourers.
Local sarpanch Sadar Manieka said: “We are tribal people and we have a tradition that we follow religiously. After we came to know about their relationship and secret marriage, we organised a meeting of our community. Individuals from the same clan are considered blood relatives and therefore, marriage or romantic relationships between them are strictly prohibited. It was agreed that they had to follow the age-old tradition of our community. We did not misbehave with them.”
Another villager, Biswanath Krushika, said: “We asked them to plough the land carrying a plough on their shoulders after offering prayers to the village deity Dharaniputta (land). If we don’t do it, we will face the wrath of the rain god and there would be no rain. For this, we need to construct a new plough.”
The villagers also performed a ritual by sacrificing a goat and conducting other customary rites. Krushika said, “We asked them to leave the village, and
they left.”
The couple could not be contacted.
Terming the act as “inhuman”, Rayagada sub-collector Ramesh Kumar Jena said he will visit the village on Saturday to inquire about the incident.
“Those found guilty during the inquiry will face legal action,” Jena said.
Additional reporting by PTI