12 booked for ordering social boycott of family over marriage

Police have registered an offenceagainst at least 12 persons for allegedly ordering socialboycott of a 23-year-old man and his family in Ratnagiridistrict of Maharashtra after he married a woman belonging tohis caste from his own hamlet, an official said on Thursday.The man recently lodged a complaint at Devrukh policestation in Ratnagiris Sangmeshwar tehsil, alleginghumiliation by the group of villagers, who opposed hismarriage within the local fraternity, the official said.The complainant and the accused belong to the samecaste Scheduled Caste.

Police have registered an offenceagainst at least 12 persons for allegedly ordering socialboycott of a 23-year-old man and his family in Ratnagiridistrict of Maharashtra after he married a woman belonging tohis caste from his own hamlet, an official said on Thursday.

The man recently lodged a complaint at Devrukh policestation in Ratnagiri's Sangmeshwar tehsil, alleginghumiliation by the group of villagers, who opposed hismarriage within the local fraternity, the official said.

''The complainant and the accused belong to the samecaste (Scheduled Caste). He hails from Patgaon Bouddhawadi atDevrukh. He currently works with a leading private broadcastsatellite service provider as an engineer and currently staysat Vasai in Palghar district,'' the police official said.

He married a 20-year-old woman he was in love with atKhar in Mumbai last year. The woman was also from his hamletand belonged to the same caste. She resided in Kopar Khairanein Navi Mumbai and worked in another department of hiscompany, he said.

''After the marriage, the members of their communityfrom the hamlet decided to boycott the complainant's family ashe married a woman, who belonged to the same place. Accordingto them, such marriages were not permitted as they consideredthe hamlet as one fraternity,'' the official said.

The community members also told them that the marriagewas not acceptable to them. The decision to boycott thecomplainant and his family was taken in a meeting held onMarch 15 last year in Patgaon and it mentioned the same in themeeting book, he added.

After the meeting, the complainant's family was notallowed to speak to any person belonging to their community orattend any functions or celebrations of the community membersat the hamlet. Besides, the family was also not allowed toenter the village, he said.

The complainant's family was also not allowed toinform about the death of the complainant's grandmother andhis uncle was not not given permission to attend the deathrituals, he said.

''Based on the man's complaint, an offence wasregistered against the accused under sections of theMaharashtraProhibition of People fromSocial Boycott(Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal)Act,2016, and undervarious IPC sections including 120 B, 143 and 153,'' theofficial said.

''Notices have been issued to the accused in thisconnection. The father of the complanant's wife is one of theaccused in the case,'' he said.

Investigation into the case is on, he said.