First FIR filed under Social Boycott Act

THE ASIAN AGE. | VARSHA TORGALKAR

Published : Jul 18, 2017, 2:08 am IST

Updated : Jul 18, 2017, 2:08 am IST

Under the new act, social boycott can attract a fine up to Rs 5 lakh and imprisonment up to seven years.

Pune: The first FIR (first information report) under the newly enacted Social Boycott Act (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act that came into existence on July 13 was registered by 11 families of Telagu Madelwar Parit community against 13 panchas of their jat panchayat for orchestrating their social boycott. The FIR was lodged with Pune’s Kondhwa police on Monday.

Satish Govekar, police inspector, Kondhwa police station, said, “We have lodged FIR against 13 panchas of Telagu Madelwar Parit community under the relevant sections of the Social Boycott (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act. Fourteen people have lodged FIR for social boycott today. As we did not know about the law we have taken help of legal advisors.”

Milind Deshmukh of Maharashtra Andhashradha Nirmulan Samiti, said, “Pune has more than 700 families of Telagu Madelwar Parit community with a total population of around 3,000. The caste council consisting 13 panchas has ruled the society for years. The caste council has boycotted 120 families for reasons like them opting for intercaste marriage, attending intercaste love marriages and so on.”

Umesh Chandrakant Rudrpa (51), an autorickshaw driver, said he has been boycotted by the caste council since 1990 for marrying a girl from another caste. He said, “Members of our family are not invited for programmes like wedding ceremony, engagement, festivals, celebrations and even last rites of members of the community. We have been facing this mental torture for the past 26 years.”

Ramchandra Chinchane (77), an accountant, said his family has been boycotted since 1999. “Now our kids are grown up and we don’t get matches for their marriage from the community. They have to find out partners from other castes. We did not want to lodge FIR but the panch of the caste council did not leave us any other option,” he said.

Under the Social Boycott (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act 2016, social boycott can attract a fine up to Rs 5 lakh and imprisonment up to seven years.