Law min vows stern action against ‘kangaroo courts’

Bhubaneswar: Expressing concern over the back-to-back incidents of tribal couples being tied to a yoke and publicly humiliated by villagers for ‘violating’ customs, Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan Monday said stringent legal action would be taken against those operating such ‘kangaroo courts’. Terming the acts as ‘immoral’, Harichandan said, “We will not encourage hateful practices and kangaroo courts.

The state government has already initiated legal action.” He attributed such incidents to a lack of awareness among people, especially in remote areas. The Law Minister added that some influential people in rural regions are indulging in these harmful practices, which negatively impact society. “None will be spared for taking the law into their hands. Strict action will be taken against the perpetrators to ensure such kangaroo courts do not occur in the future,” he asserted. Harichandan was referring to two recent cases – one in Kanjamajodi village under Kalyansinghpur block of Rayagada district, and the other in Peda Itiki village under Bargi Gram Panchayat in Narayanpatna block of Koraput district. In both incidents, tribal couples, who had married within the same clan, were subjected to degrading treatment by local community members.

In the Rayagada incident, a tribal couple – a 32-year-old man and his father’s cousin sister – was tied to a yoke and forced to plough farm land by villagers for being in a relationship and getting married ‘secretly’ against their families’ wishes. A group of villagers, including women and minors, were seen witnessing the cruel punishment. Similarly, in the Koraput incident, another couple, a 21-year-old youth and his cousin, 20, were seen tied to a yoke and being paraded through the streets for marrying within the same clan, which villagers considered a violation of tribal customs. Videos of both incidents went viral on social media, prompting the Law Minister to intervene and direct officials to take swift legal action against those responsible for organising the kangaroo courts and humiliating the couples.

Despite the public outrage, some villagers have defended the actions, claiming they were carried out as part of customary tribal purification rituals. Meanwhile, Rayagada police have detained several villagers based on video evidence and are questioning them. In the Koraput case, the local administration has also launched an investigation into the incident.

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