Panchayat members ostracise villagers for following godman

Chikhal Dongri is home to around 2,000 people who follow the Varkari tradition and visit the Vithhal Rukmini temple in Pandharpur at least twice a year. Some residents including the two Vaiti families believe in preachings of Nilesh Joshi, a godman based in Pandharpur who died in 2004, whereas others are opposed to him and his preachings

MUMBAI: When 16 members of the panchayat samiti of Chikhal Dongri village near Virar railway station barged into the house of Mangala Kewal Vaiti, 38, on Sunday, she was overcome with a sense of déjà vu.

Mangala Vaiti has been living with her relatives for the last two years

Around two years ago, in 2021, members of the same samiti had attacked her home and imposed a fine of ₹25,000 because they followed a godman named Nilesh Joshi, whom the samiti members did not approve of. Vaiti’s family was ostracised from the village, and they were forced to take shelter in a relative’ house in the neighbouring village of Arnala.

The same fate visited the family of fellow villager Umesh Vaiti on Sunday.

“Umesh hosted some followers of Joshi that day. After they left, the samiti announced in the village that his family was outcaste and he was not allowed to drive his rickshaw,” said Mangala Vaiti.

Chikhal Dongri is home to around 2,000 people who follow the Varkari tradition and visit the Vithhal Rukmini temple in Pandharpur at least twice a year. Some residents including the two Vaiti families believe in preachings of Nilesh Joshi, a godman based in Pandharpur who died in 2004, whereas others are opposed to him and his preachings. The latter group includes panchayat samiti members, who reportedly penalise the believers of Joshi whenever they entertain or host Joshi’s followers. Till date, five families have been ostracised from the village, and panchayat samiti members have collected ₹13-14 lakh as penalty, said villagers.

At around 8:30pm on Sunday, 16 members of the samiti attacked the house of Mangala Vaiti’s relative in Arnala, where her family lives currently, assuming that Umesh Vaiti had taken shelter there. They abused her and even assaulted her husband.

But this time, Mangala Vaiti decided to pursue the attackers and lodged a complaint with the police.

“The harassment has been going on for years. We are boycotted by the entire village and no one from the village speaks to us. We are also not allowed in the village temple, which is ridiculous,” she stated.

Police in Arnala registered a first information report (FIR) based on her complaint, and the 16 samiti members were booked under sections 504 (intentional insult or provocation aimed at breach of public peace), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code and sections 5 (punishment for social boycott) and 6 (prohibition on assembling for social boycott) of the Maharashtra Protection of People form Social Boycott (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2016.

“The 16 samiti members named in the FIR will be questioned and the claims of the victim will be verified,” said Vitthal Chaughule, senior police inspector at the Arnala police station.

In her complaint, Vaiti stated she was harassed and forced to leave the village with her husband and son in 2021 for not paying a fine of ₹25,000.

“I did not say anything earlier as I did not want any trouble. But I have to stand up against them now, because no one else will,” she noted.