Rayagada (Odisha), June 21: In a shocking incident, forty members of a tribal were forced to shave their heads in Odisha's Rayagada. There are reports that the family was forcefully tonsured as part of a ritual to purify them after a woman of their family married a man from another caste. A video of the incident is doing rounds on social media and it can be seen in the video that the family members' heads are being shaved. Children were also not immune from the purification ritual.
There are reports that the incident occurred on Thursday (June 19) at Baiganaguda village under Gorakhpur panchayat of Kashipur block in Rayagada district. As per reports, the woman who belonged to a Scheduled Tribe (ST) married a man who belonged to the Scheduled Caste (SC) category. Following the marriage the woman's family underwent the purification ritual.
The purification ritual consists of sacrificing animals such as, chickens, goats and pigs. These sacrifices are made in front of the local deity in the village. These rituals are customs which is being practiced in the community for a long time.
The couple went ahead and performed the marriage even after opposition from their families and the locals. There are reports that they married as they fell in love with each other and with mutual consent. They ignored their castes and performed marriage. They disregarded their caste differences and got married.
The marriage raised tensions in the village and the senior members of the community decided to perform the purification ritual over the family members of the woman who married the man from the different caste. The decision was taken after a meeting was held and it was decided that the purification ritual is mandatory to seek forgiveness from the local deity.
The ritual involving animal sacrifices and head-shaving (mundan) as an act of penance was performed by the woman’s extended family, who were reportedly warned of possible social ostracism if they refused.
The incident came to light after the video of the ritual went viral on social media. In response, the district administration launched an investigation, assigning the Kashipur Block Development Officer (BDO) to look into the matter. The BDO later stated that a team met both families, who claimed the ritual was done voluntarily according to local customs, without any outside pressure.
