Cymbal beating case: OHRC asks DM, DIG to enquire & report

The Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) today ordered the district magistrate of Angul and DIG of Police, South-Western Range, Talcher, to enquire into the alleged human rights violation of a person for his wife not voting for a particular candidate in the panchayat elections.
The order was issued by OHRC acting chairperson Justice B K Mishra while while expressing its concern in the matter.
"Sent copies of petitions to the DIG of Police, South-Western Range, Talcher as well as to the Collector & District Magistrate, Angul to cause an enquiry into the matter and to submit their respective reports to the Commission within three weeks hence," the order said.

Earlier, petitioner Dusmanta Sahu and his wife Mallika Sahu along with the different office bearers of BJP Mahila Morcha appeared before the Commission today and present a petition.
Sahu's wife Mallika Sahu, is an elected ward member of Ward No.8 of Badakera Gram Panchayat and during the election of naib sarpanch, the president of the ward, Jyoti Ranjan Acharya and his supporters forced the wife of the petitioner to cast her vote in favour of their candidate.
When the wife of the petitioner did not cast vote according to the instructions, the rivals being aggrieved ostracised the petitioner and his family members from the village.

It is further alleged that in a village meeting although the wife of the petitioner admitted her guilt, but Acharya imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh, otherwise to admit his mistake by pronouncing the same in the village 'Kangaroo Court'.

As the petitioner was not in a position to pay the fine amount, he preferred to admit the punishment imposed on him by beating cymbal in the village.
"It is further alleged that due to such illegal decision of the 'Kangaroo' Court, his human rights have been violated till he was rescued by police and persons belonging to electronic and print media," the petitioner said.

Although the petitioner reported the matter at Bantala police station, but police did not take any action in the matter, the petitioner alleged.