Rajasthan panchayat men booked for ostracising family over false murder charges
Rajasthan panchayat men booked for ostracising family over false murder charges
Rajasthan Police have booked 10 members of a caste panchayat at Maval in the Sirohi district for allegedly ostracising and slapping a ₹5 lakh penalty on a man’s family after wrongly blaming him for his son’s death.
The panchayat allegedly pressured Thanaram Gwariya to confess to his son’s “murder” even as police confirmed he died in a road accident.
Laxman Singh, a local police officer, said the 10 were booked on Gwariya’s complaint, and an investigation has been initiated. Gwariya accused individuals of running a parallel justice system by declaring themselves as caste leaders. He accused the panchayat members of collecting fines, enforcing arbitral rules, extortion, and imposing social boycotts. Gwariya claimed those who do not comply with their orders are ostracised.
In his complaint, Gwariya, 45, said he informed the panchayat that the police investigated the case and filed a charge sheet confirming his son died in an accident. He added that the panchayat members pressured him despite that. Gwariya said the panchayat members halted the rituals following his son’s funeral and demanded ₹51,000 to allow them.
Gwariya said that he paid the panchayat head, Sonaram, ₹51,000, but he demanded ₹5 lakh. He said he refused to pay and was ostracised. Gwariya Thanaram moved a court, following which police registered a case under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita’s Sections 308(7) and 316(2) related to extortion and social boycott.
