The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has demanded a detailed report from the Odisha government within two weeks on the alleged social boycott of a family in Sundargarh district.
The ostracisation reportedly left a grieving daughter without community support, delaying her elderly mother’s final rites.
Taking suo motu cognisance of media reports, the rights panel noted that the deceased woman, a resident of Mahuldiha village, had been subjected to a social boycott for 12 years. Following her passing, villagers allegedly refused to help her daughter carry out the funeral rituals.
According to a statement issued by the NHRC on Monday, the elderly woman’s last rites were ultimately performed only after local NGOs and the district administration stepped in to provide assistance.
Stating that these allegations, if proven true, raise serious concerns of violation of human rights, the commission has directed the state’s Chief Secretary to submit a detailed explanation within a fortnight.
The NHRC’s intervention stems from media reports published on June 11. The reports claimed the family was cast out after being unable to pay a fine imposed by village elders when the woman’s daughter briefly left home with a man from a different caste.
The commission expressed concern that the family allegedly continued to face social boycott for over a decade and that the ostracisation persisted even after the woman’s death, affecting the conduct of her final rites.
The NHRC said it would examine the matter further after receiving the report from the Odisha government.
