Kerala: Ostracised from own community, PMO steps in to grant justice

“They did not accept me as few in the community maintained that I was not from the community and was from a scheduled caste which is not true. I had provided them my caste certificate.

Mananthavady, April 22 - Thanks to the Prime Minister's App and the intervention by the Kerala Human rights commission, a couple who were ostracized from their own community for the past five years is now gaining support to fight back and lead a normal social life.

The couple, 27-year old Arun and 24-year old Sukanya hailing from Mananthavady were socially 'boycotted' after sending a legal notice by the Yadava community leaders to its members not to interact with them two days after their wedding.

"They did not accept me as few in the community maintained that I was not from the community and was from a scheduled caste which is not true. I had provided them my caste certificate. My close relatives were informed not to visit my house and also not to attend any of the functions which me and my wife is a part of", said Arun to OneIndia.

However, I am now hopeful as there are a lot of like-minded people who are supporting me, he added.

Meanwhile on Friday, the human rights commission sent a notice to the Wayanad district collector and the state DGP seeking explanation on the treatment meted out to the couple. The commission has asked for an explanation in a week's time.

The couple got married in June 2012 in a temple in Mananthavady and later got registered. However the members of the community did not accept the marriage as the duo did not 'follow the customs'.

The couple were blessed with a baby girl during 2015. Sadly, none of the relatives were allowed to visit the house during this period.

It was during November 2016 that a formal notice was sent to the members of the community intimating on the social boycott by the leaders. This notice sealed their fate.

"We are a community that has been following the path shown to us by our ancestors. Impure persons who corrupt such a way of living should be shunned. They are 'Kuladrohis (Traitors of a clan) and members who support them too will be considered so", the notice went on.

It was after continuous humiliation from the community that the couple decided to seek the help of Prime Minister Narendra Modi by lodging a complaint through the PMs Mobile application. They got a reply in a month's time seeking a reply from the state government.

The couple in the meantime also sought the help of a Delhi based lawyer Sreejith Perumana to fight the case.

With the PMO intervention and the human rights commission registering a case, the couple is hoping that the community members will accept them.

OneIndia News