Overview

• The NHRC has taken suo motu cognisance and issued a notice to Odisha’s chief secretary requiring a detailed report within two weeks
• The case stems from a June 19 inter-caste marriage in Baiganguda village, Kashipur block, where the family of a Scheduled Tribe woman faced social ostracism after she wed a Scheduled Caste man
• Villagers demanded a purification ritual, which led to the tonsuring of 40 relatives’ heads and the sacrifice of livestock to a local deity
• A Rayagada district administration inquiry found both the bride’s and groom’s families reported they consented to the ritual and had no grievances
• The episode highlights the tension between entrenched tribal taboos on inter-caste marriages and Odisha’s policy offering Rs 2.5 lakh incentives to cross-caste couples