Odisha Law Minister condemns Kangaroo Courts over tribal couple humiliation, orders strict action

Bhubaneswar, July 14 (UNI) Odisha Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan today strongly condemned the public humiliation of two tribal couples by kangaroo courts in separate incidents in Rayagada and Koraput districts.

Calling the actions illegal and deeply immoral, Harichandan said the government had taken serious note of the incidents and initiated legal proceedings against those involved.

“Strict action will be taken against the perpetrators to ensure such kangaroo courts do not occur in the future,” he asserted.

The minister 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. The couples were paraded with wooden yokes around their necks, akin to bullocks, and forced to plough fields as part of a so-called “purification ritual.”

In the Rayagada case, the couple was later forced to leave the village after the kangaroo court passed its verdict, which villagers claimed was in line with tribal customs.

According to sources, a community meeting held last week decided to punish the couple for violating clan-based marriage norms.

Similarly, in Peda Itiki village of Koraput, another couple who had eloped to Andhra Pradesh were subjected to the same punishment on Sunday. They were tied to a yoke and made to plough in
In front of the villagers.
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 couple.

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.