
BARIPADA: Two days after the Orissa High Court directed Mayurbhanj police to file an action taken report (ATR) on the alleged social boycott of a tribal family by villagers of Dorakantia in Bangiriposi, the victim Sundar Majhi (61) on Saturday demanded the district administration to pay Rs 5 lakh compensation for the loss incurred over his damaged paddy crops.
Submitting a memorandum in this regard, Majhi said the district police did not come to his aid when villagers prevented him from harvesting paddy on his agricultural land.
“Whenever we went to harvest paddy, the villagers threatened, abused and intimidated us so as to prevent us from cutting our own crops. Since the crops were not harvested in time, they eventually got damaged. Hence, I seek Rs 5 lakh as compensation from the district administration,” Sundar stated in his memorandum.
Additional district magistrate Netrananda Mallick said he would look into the matter.
Majhi and his family had been ostracised by villagers for nearly 18 years after they failed to provide Rs 25,000 fine as decided by a kangaroo court for allegedly practising sorcery. More so, when his wife Sakramani Majhi died on October 23 last year, villagers decided against permission for cremation if he did not pay the fine. The funeral could be done after much delay only with the help of a social organisation. They were reportedly also restrained from harvesting paddy on their own agricultural land.
Taking serious note of the allegations, the single judge bench of Justice SK Panigrahi on Thursday directed the Mayurbhanj SP to file an affidavit regarding the steps taken on the issues, especially the social boycott faced by the family.