Dalit man made to rub nose in his own spit in Odisha, sarpanch booked

The incident took place when Chameli Ojha, sarpanch of Tikhiri village, visited Gurucharan Mallick’s house, seeking donation for the temple. When Mallick said that he had already donated for the deity, the sarpanch allegedly abused him and his wife, Rekha, police said.

Updated on: Apr 21, 2022, 01:14:34 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty, Bhubaneswar

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A 32-year-old Dalit man was allegedly forced to rub his nose in his own spit in front of a village sarpanch and locals after he reportedly refused to pay donation for installation of a deity in a temple, in Kendrapara district of Odisha, police said on Wednesday.

A Dalit man was allegedly forced to rub his nose in his own spit in front of a village sarpanch in Odisha. (Representational)

The incident took place on Saturday evening when Chameli Ojha, sarpanch of Tikhiri village under Marshaghai police station, visited Gurucharan Mallick’s house, seeking donation for the temple. When Mallick said that he had already donated for the deity, the sarpanch allegedly abused him and his wife, Rekha, police said.

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Rekha, who filed a complaint with the police on Sunday, said a sarpanch meeting on Sunday initially decided to boycott her family. Later, the sarpanch and locals forced Gurucharan to rub his nose in his own spit, she alleged.

“...he had to do what the village committee ordered him to do,” Rekha said.

Dismissing the allegations, Ojha said: “All these charges against me are untrue. We have not done any such thing.”

Marshaghai police station inspector-in-charge, PK Kanungo, said a case under various sections of Indian Penal Code and Section 3 of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 have been lodged against the sarpanch and few villagers. “We are still investigating the case. We will make arrests, if necessary,” he said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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