ADILABAD: A tribal hamlet in Utnoor mandal recently saw 20 families leave the village due to a difference in religious practices with other families in the village. Surprisingly, both families belong to the same tribe — Kolam (PVTG) — and pray to the same god.
The Kolams in Ramguda village are divided into 20 Kodappa families and 65 Attram families. The hamlet comes under the Yanda gram panchayat. Recently, the Attram families alleged that as the Kodappa families were praying inside the village, the villagers have been suffering from various diseases and were facing other problems. The Attram families, on the other hand, do not offer prayers inside the village.
Therefore, to settle the matter, the elders of the families organised a panchayat on February 2 in the presence of the patel (traditional village head) Attram Shesha Rao. Kodappa families deposited `21,000 with the patel. The families failed to reach a conclusion and decided another date for the meeting.
On February 8, the temple priest of Kodappa families, Kodappa Ramchander, approached the patel and handed him a letter stating that the Kodappas were going to vacate the village. The village patel returned `21,000 to the Kodappa families, who left the village and moved to a nearby field.
Human Rights Forum’s State vice-president A Bhujanga Rao visited the village on February 12 and collected the details of the issue. He said that in the name of god, the Kodappa families had to vacate the village and settle in some other place. “This is nothing but lack of education,” said Bhujanga Rao.
“The governments need to provide education to them and organise regular awareness programmes. This is not the first time that this type of issues is happening in the agency areas,” added Rao, adding that there is a need to provide rehabilitation to the families.
20 Kodappa, 65 Attram families
The Kolams in Ramguda village are divided into 20 Kodappa families and 65 Attram families. The hamlet comes under the Yanda gram panchayat. Both pray to the same deity.
Lack of education: HRF vice-president
Human Rights Forum’s State vice-president A Bhujanga Rao visited the village on February 12 and collected the details of the issue. “This is nothing but lack of education,” said Bhujanga Rao.