Hunger strike planned over community blackmail

was not even permitted to attend the funeral of a close relative and none of the community members came forward to help when his wife suffered two heart attacks. “Why do I have to be subject to such humiliations for such insignificant reasons,” he asks.

His is not the only example. Shankar Khaliram Dangi has been boycotted by the closely-knit community only because he married a Maharashtrian while Atul Gosain also faced a boycott because his family decided to break the engagement of his younger sister arranged way back when they were children.

Interestingly, this boycott can be lifted the minute he pays up the fine which could be anything from Rs. 2000 to Rs. 1 lakh for his sins. In a more serious case, young Raju Madanlal Dange residing at Warje allegedly threw himself before a running train because he could no longer bear the harassement by the Panch members continiously derided him for marrying a Muslim girl and demanded hefty fines for taking him back into the community, that too in this day and age.

The ten-odd members of the community currently facing boycott have decided to come together and form an association under the name of Atyachar Virodhi Samiti to fight the atrocities perpetrated on their community members. Says Jagdish Unnecha, convenor of the Samiti,“ For years we have been living in terror of these Panch members who weild the law in our comunity. If they so desire, they can boycott a community member or even demand whopping amounts for wiping out their so-called crimes.”

A total of 10,000 to 12,000 families from this community in Pune. Around 44 members who are part of the Panch (some of whom come from Pali in Rajasthan) meet once in a month to take important decisions regarding the community. According to Hemant Dharmavat, there have been at least 150 to 200-odd cases where people have paid fines to avoid being boycotted. Moreover, no reciepts are given to those penalised or no accounts of the money collected are maintained, he says.

The Samiti members have now planned to resort to a hunger strike on August 25, when the next Panch meeting is scheduled. Hiralal Sharma has threatened to immolate himself for being socially ostracised while the rest of the Samiti members plan to slap legal notices on the Panch members for boycotting some of the families and approach the police for help.