BERHAMPUR: In a glaring example of the prevailing social prejudices in rural Odisha, 40 members of a tribal woman’s family tonsured their heads as part of a purification ritual after she married a man of different caste in Rayagada district.
The ritual also involved sacrificing goats, chickens and pigs in front of the local deity.
The incident took place at Baiganaguda village under Gorakhpur panchayat in Rayagada’s Kashipur block on Thursday.
Sources said the woman, in her early twenties, was in a love relationship with a young man of SC community and they decided to tie the knot. However, their families opposed the marriage as the man was not a tribal. Despite the opposition, the couple got married.
The woman’s family disapproved of the union as their custom did not mandate inter-caste marriage. As per their custom, if a woman married outside the tribe, the entire family would face the wrath of the village deity. In case of any violation of the tradition, the family and their relatives would undergo a purification ritual to be accepted in the community.
Accordingly, the woman’s family members and relatives tonsured their heads and arranged a grand feast for villagers after sacrificing goats, pigs and chickens.
The incident came to light after someone in the village recorded the ritual on mobile phone and posted the video on social media. As the video clip went viral, the district administration directed the block development officer (BDO) of Kashipur to probe the incident.
BDO Bijay Soe said a team led by the block-level extension officer visited Baiganaguda village to investigate the matter. “The team members met the couple’s families who explained that they observed the ritual as per their custom without any compulsion. The matter has been placed before the higher-ups for consideration of government assistance for the inter-caste marriage,” he added.