Villagers complaint of panchayat atrocities for not organising

Atrocities of the cast panchayat continue to wreck lives of families in the villages.
In fresh incidents, two families bore the brunt of autocratic orders of these panchayats banishing two families from the community and barring their transactions in the village for failing to organise 'mausar'.
In Rajasthan, the death of a family member is marked by three ceremonies spread over 12 days. The last of these, mausar, held on the 12th day, consists of a feast in honour of the deceased.
The traditional practice is banned in the state.
Two separate cases have been registered by the police against 30 such cast panchayat members and the investigation has been initiated.

SHO (Luni) Lekh Raj said in the first case, Birma Ram Bheel of Piparli village in Luni of Jodhpur, had alleged that 19 cast panchayat members had forced him to pay a penalty of Rs 5 lakh, which he deposited by mortgaging his agriculture land.

He alleged that he was forced to organise 'mausar' on the death of a family member, failing which, he was banished from the community and relations were severed.
"The panchayat ordered me to pay a cash penalty of Rs 5 lakh for the reversal of the decision of the panchayat," he claimed.
In another case, Chatura Ram and Hanumana Ram Meghwal, of Dhandhia village in Luni, were also allegedly forced to organise 'mausar' by the community panchayat or face a heavy cash penalty and eviction from the community.

"Both these persons have given complaint against 11 panchayat members at Luni police station and the investigation has been initiated," a police official said.