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The Pune Rural police have booked nine members of a caste panchayat under the anti-social boycott legislation after they allegedly ostracised a woman and her family from their community after she asked back for the money she had given to some community members to fix her daughters’ marriages.
A First Information Report (FIR) in the case was registered at the Yavat police station Wednesday based on a complaint filed by the 55-year-old woman from Yavat, who earns her living as a labourer.
The police have invoked the Maharashtra Protection of People from Social Boycott (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, legislation which bans caste panchayats and other practices of social boycott, against the nine members of the Nathpanthi Davari Gosavi, which is a nomadic tribal community.
The law was enacted by Maharashtra in 2017 after an extensive campaign led by Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti, which was founded by Dr Narendra Dabholkar.
“The complainant had given money to some members of the community some time ago to help her fix the marriages of her daughters. But because marriages could not be fixed, she was demanding her money back,” said an officer from Pune Rural Police.
“The members of the caste panchayat from the community held a meeting in April and ordered a social boycott of the complainant and her family from the community. The woman recently approached us and an FIR was registered,” added the officer.
The nine members whom the police have booked have been identified as Mohan Chavan, Narayan Sawant, Bhagwan Chavan, Bhaurao Shinde, Ranjeet Chavan, Tanaji Sawant, Natha Sawant, Namdeo Sawant, and Gangaram Chavan.
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