MALKANGIRI : A 22-year-old youth died by suicide after being allegedly humiliated at a local kangaroo court over his relationship with a married woman in MV-92 of Serpalli panchayat under Malkangiri police limits on Tuesday. The deceased was identified as Sagar Sarkar.
According to Sagar’s family members, the youth was working at a shrimp processing company in Tamil Nadu, where he allegedly developed a relationship with a married woman from Kolkata. The duo later came to Malkangiri and was staying in a rented house at Kalimela.
Later, the woman’s husband lodged a complaint with the village committee alleging that Sagar had illegally brought his wife to Malkangiri. Based on the complaint, a khap panchayat meeting was reportedly convened in MV-92 on Monday to discuss the matter.
The family alleged that during the khap panchayat meeting, Sagar was assaulted and a fine of Rs 45,000 was imposed on him. The woman was subsequently handed over to her family members who had come from Kolkata.
Family members claimed that Sagar went into depression after the incident. Unable to bear the public humiliation at the kangaroo court, he hanged himself to death at his brother’s house in the village in the small hours of Tuesday, they alleged.
Later in the day, Sagar’s father Rabin Sarkar filed a complaint in Malkangiri police station. Seeking justice, brother Rakesh Sarkar demanded strict action against those involved in allegedly assaulting and humiliating Sagar.
Acting on the complaint, a team of Malkangiri police reached MV-92 and launched an inquiry into the circumstances leading to the youth’s death. Malkangiri IIC Debadutta Mallick said the deceased’s father has alleged that his son took the extreme step after being punished by villagers. A case has been registered and investigation is underway. Further action would be taken based on the findings of the probe, he added.
On the other hand, the village committee president denied the allegations of assault and imposition of fine on Sagar.
