A family at Metela-Chashapara village in Birbhum district has been pushed to the brink of a survival crisis after a self-styled village body allegedly imposed a sweeping social boycott on them, accusing the household of “spoiling the community” following the return of a girl from a failed inter-faith marriage.

The diktat, issued by a kangaroo court that calls itself the “Chashapara Sholo-Aana Committee”, has effectively cut the family off from food, medicine, education and even basic human interaction, reviving fears of mediaeval-style social punishment in rural Bengal.

According to the family and local residents, the committee — dominated by Hindu fringe groups and some allegedly having proximity to the BJP—declared the girl a “witch” and announced punitive measures against her for marrying outside her religion.

The girl, a Class XI student and daughter of a farmer, had eloped with a youth from another community in May 2024 and returned to her parental home in July last year after being abandoned by her husband. Since then, her family has faced sustained hostility, which escalated sharply earlier this month, even after filing a divorce petition.

At a village meeting convened by the committee, residents were instructed to sever all ties with the family.

Shopkeepers were warned not to sell them food or medicine, villagers were told not to speak to or assist them in any way, community resources such as ponds were declared off-limits, and even agricultural labourers were asked to stop working on the family’s land. The diktat also barred any social interaction, invitation or expression of sympathy, isolating the household completely.

With no access to shops or services, the family says it is struggling to secure food and essential medicines and is living in constant fear of violence.

The boycott was formalised through written instructions issued by the committee and enforced through social media posts, community WhatsApp groups and drum-beating announcements at the village. Villagers were allegedly threatened with “dire consequences” if they defied the diktat, creating an atmosphere of fear that has silenced even sympathetic neighbours.

On Sunday, the girl emailed complaints to the Dubrajpur police, the district magistrate of Birbhum and the National Commission for Women, naming six persons for allegedly inciting tension and issuing threats.

The family’s ordeal began soon after the girl returned home last year. When her father accepted her back, the committee allegedly convened the kangaroo court, where he was assaulted as punishment. Facing growing threats, the girl initially left the village and stayed with relatives while continuing her studies. However, trouble resurfaced after she returned home again in January this year, hoping tensions had eased.

The situation took a more aggressive turn when the committee called another community meeting and formally imposed the social boycott through written diktats circulated at the village.

Speaking to The Telegraph, the girl recounted her experience in detail.
“I married on May 15, 2024, and later I returned to my paternal home in July last year after being abandoned by the husband. After that, some people in our village threatened to kill me and started torturing my family. My father was assaulted at a community meeting, which forced me to leave the village. At that time, there was no threat of social isolation,” she said.

She added: “Despite struggling to come out of trauma and facing fresh threats, I resumed my studies. After about six months, I returned home in January, expecting tensions to have simmered down and people to have changed their minds. But the so-called committee members saw me at home and began intimidating us again. After a meeting, they announced a social boycott on February 4. They issued a diktat not to allow us to step out of our house and even stopped the school car in which my six-year-old brother travels. Because of this, my brother’s studies have stopped.”

Describing the atmosphere in the village, she said: “No food is being sold to us by shops, and even medicine shop owners have refused to sell anything because of the threats. We cannot dare to challenge the diktat for fear of being attacked, as they have also threatened to kill us. The boycott has been propagated on social media, and we have been accused of being witches who should be burnt to death.”

One of the accused, Pankaj Chowdhury, defended the boycott.

“It is a collective decision of the villagers according to the traditional faith of the community. The decision is right for the sake of the Hindu community. We cannot accept someone who left our community and embarrassed us. It hardly matters what the law says. We are even ready to court arrest to defend our decision and fight it legally in court,” he told The Telegraph.

Ranjan Bandyopadhyay, a professor and former sampark pramukh of the Hindu Jagaran Manch, who assisted the girl in filing complaints, said the actions of the committee were illegal and unconstitutional.

“Metela village is not outside the country. Even if the girl married a person of a different religion, she has every right to stay with her parents, and the parents have every right to allow her to stay. In this case, the girl has returned and a divorce case has been filed. Torturing the family mentally in such a situation is a criminal offence, and the administration should take proper action,” he said.

District magistrate of Birbhum Dhaval Jain said the administration was aware of the situation. “I will call both parties to sort out the issue and clear the prejudices,” he said.