A Dalit family in Balia Pati village, located in the Balasore district of Odisha, is allegedly facing a social boycott by the villagers for the past three years for refusing to marry off their minor daughter; however, police have denied all claims, saying the matter stems from an internal dispute.
According to reports, Prasant Bar and his wife have been denied all basic amenities such as food, water, entry into temples, marketplaces, etc, for the past three years. The couple has been subject to this treatment since their daughter was allegedly kidnapped by a man from another village, but was later rescued safely. However, reports claim that after their daughter returned, the village forced the couple to marry her off to the man who had abducted her.
Prasant, however, remained adamant, saying that his daughter was still a minor and wanted to pursue higher education. This caused the village to turn hostile to them.
A complaint was eventually registered with the Singla police station on June 14 this year by the daughter, who is now in college, regarding the ‘mental torture’ her parents were subjected to by the villagers.
However, when Siasat.com reached out to the police, they denied all claims, saying the complaint was motivated by a recent dispute between Prasant and the head of the village. The police informed that Prasant used to take water from Pradeep’s water cellar for agricultural purposes, but refused to pay him money for it.
The police also alleged that Prasant’s daughter, then 14, had eloped with the man willingly was not kidnapped. They also informed that the man is now married and has a son.
The police say the boycott is only a few days old, unlike the three years as claimed by a few media reports.
Police also alleged that Prasant had bribed the media in his favour. “We have not registered an FIR on the matter since the complainant themselves wish not to take it further, and they have said that they will talk with the villagers in a day or two and try to resolve the issue; the police will also be present to mediate,” said Inspector-in-Charge Kamalini Tandi told Siasat.com.
