Girl ostracised for breaking eggs of a bird

Jaipur: A six-year-old girl was expelled from community for accidently rupturing a lapwing’s egg. She couldn’t enter her own house and spent 11 days on a cot in Haripura village in Bundi district.. She became a pariah even for her family.

It was Khushboo’s first day in the school on July 2. It was also the inaugural day of state government’s milk distribution scheme in schools hence there was big crowd. After prayer meeting, she was standing in the queue for milk when due to shoving and pushing, she lost her balance and stepped over egg of a lapwing.

Later in the evening, the panchayat ordered  the girl to be ostracised.. As a punishment, her family was asked to give her bath in the local temple. Besides, her father was asked to give liquor and snacks for the khap panchayat and feed cows, fish and pigeons. Later, it extended the punishment when he sought time to repay his debt to a panchayat member.

Hukumchand then spoke to the manager of a cow shelter where he worked, who informed senior officials of police and district administration.

On instruction from their seniors, tehsildar Bhavna Singh and SHO Lakshman reached the village and spoke to members of the caste panchayat,  restraining them from ostracising the girl. But, no case was registered against them.

However, the family is still facing trauma. Khushboo’s mother is pregnant.

The family is worried that the khap has taken Khushboo back under pressure from the police but the community may still boycott them. The fear is not unfounded.

The panchayat members have not taken kindly to police intervention. They believe that this is an established tradition in the village to punish anyone guilty of killing a cat or breaking eggs of lapwing, pigeon or peahen, therefore by calling the police Hukumchand has brought disrepute to the village and the community.

Chairman of Rajasthan State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Dr Manan Chaturvedi, visited the village on Thursday.