Man commits suicide after caste council boycotts him

Unable to bear the humiliation of being boycotted from his caste for two years, a man committed suicide in Pune on Monday. Arun Naiku (47), the deceased person, belonged to the Veer Shaiv Gavali community.

Krushna Chandgude of Maharashtra Andhashradha Nirmulan Samiti (MANS) said: “Dheeraj Pangudwale, a youngster, married a girl from another caste five years ago. Naiku and Pangudwale were good friends. Two years ago, the caste council of the Veer Shaiv Gavali community came to know that Pangudwale’s wife is from a different caste and hence boycotted the families of both Pangudwale and Naiku.

Pangudwale, in turn, filed a complaint with the local police against the caste council’s members in December 2014. The council, however, was pressuring Naiku to get the complaint revoked by excluding him from participating in the social gatherings of the community.”

Suraj Naiku, the deceased’s son, who has lodged a police complaint, said: “Our family has been barred from participating in wedding ceremonies, festivals and death rituals of people from the community. Most of our relatives do not talk to us. My father had been requesting the council to take him back into the folds the caste, but in vain. On Sunday, he went again to the members of the council, but instead of talking to him, they humiliated my father. Unable to bear the humiliation, he committed suicide. I am not going to perform his last rites until the police arrest the criminals.”

Suraj has accused Vanappa Pailwan, Viththal Pailwan, Kiran Janwood, Mahadev Bidkar, Rajiv Bidkar and Tukaram Kirloskar — all members of the caste council — for his father’s death.