Overview

• On June 19, a Scheduled Tribe woman’s wedding to a Scheduled Caste man in Kashipur block’s Baiganaguda village triggered community outrage
• Under pressure from a village council, about 40 members of the woman’s extended family conducted goat, chicken and pig sacrifices before having their heads tonsured
• A video of the mass head-shaving went viral, prompting the Kashipur block development officer to launch a formal investigation and send officials to the site
• During the probe, both the bride’s and groom’s families told authorities they had no complaints and said they carried out the rites voluntarily
• The episode highlights deep-rooted tribal prohibitions against inter-caste unions alongside Odisha’s policy offering Rs2.5 lakh to couples who marry across caste lines