Koshagumuda: A total of 15 families have been socially ostracised by residents of Churahandi village under Temera panchayat in this block of Nabarangpur district after they allegedly informed police about a gambling racket. Sources said that initially 25 families were ostracised. However, 10 of them paid the penalty amount slapped on them and got relief. The ostracised families have been barred from participating in functions and rituals. Their kids have been barred from attending the local Anganwadi centre.
Sources said that the families have been asked to pay a fine of Rs 2,000 each for the removal of the order and Rs 500 as a penalty for allegedly passing on information to the police regarding the gambling racket. The families have been barred from lighting fires and using water from ponds in the village. They also cannot buy anything from the village shops. Other residents of the village have been asked to stay away from the ostracised families.
Failure to do so would invoke a penalty of Rs 500. Left with no option, the ostracised villagers are travelling for over five kilometres to the Koshagumuda block or to Temera village which is about two kilometres away to buy their daily provisions and fulfil their other needs. The matter came to the fore after some of the ostracised family members met the local tehsildar and Nabarangpur SP, S Susree and lodged a complaint in this regard, Tuesday. The tehsildar and Koshagumuda police personnel visited the village and launched an investigation. The incident is stated to be a fallout over a gambling racket which was operational within the village during the ‘Chaitra Festival’ in April.
On being informed, Koshagumuda police personnel reached the village and busted gambling dens that had been opened in the village.
An influential group of people in the village, who were allegedly running the gambling rackets suspected that 25 families in Mali Sahi, Mirgan Sahi and Harijan Sahi might have tipped off the police. These people then conducted a meeting where a decision was taken to ostracise 25 families. Now even though 10 of the families have got relief, the other 15 are living in constant fear of harassment.