SHILLONG, MAR 28: A woman and her nine-year-old daughter were allegedly ostracized by a dorbar shnong of a remote village in West Jaintia hills district despite being an aggrieved party over a land dispute case.
Ioris Khongjoh was recently ostracized by the village dorbar of Sankhat, which is 15 kilometers away from Muktapur village, located along the Indo-Bangla border and falling under Amlarem sub-division.
The village authority had allegedly directed complete cut-off of drinking water supply, transportation besides threatening to burn down the house of Khongjoh.
“The dorbar shnong had summoned me at 8 pm on March 25 and decided to ostracize me from the village for no fault of mine,” Khongjoh told reporters on Saturday.
The decision was declared by village headman Hedrik Dhar, who was elected two weeks ago to the post, and his secretary E Khongiong after they received a complaint from one B Syrti, she said.
“Syrti had accused me of practicing ‘witchcraft’ and complaint to the dorbar shnong,” she said adding the truth behind the baseless accusation was over a plot of land which Syrti had recently illegal encroached.
Khongjoh said, “I had strongly objected on the illegal attempt by Syrti to encroach on my land which I had bought in 2006 for Rs 40, 000 from one Will Pohti for cultivation of arecanut,” adding “Syrti had started construction work on my land.”
She said, “I had also brought to notice of the village authority the issue, but since I had kept the land documents with my sister who is staying in Shillong, I could not produced them in the dorbar meeting,” and added “Despite requesting for one day time, the headman and secretary refused and directly declared their decision.”
Khongjoh said that she was not allowed to use the government water supply and even public transport vehicles. “People in the dorbar shnong including the headman and secretary had also threatened to burn down my house during the meeting,” she said.
Khongjoh and her daughter had to leave the village due to fear after being threatened.
Khongjoh alleged that village authority had also objected her action when she had filed an FIR against her husband adding “They always kept on saying you always filed cases against people.”
Contacting, the SDO Amlarem JU Kharpuri said, “As of now, we are yet to receive any complaint on the case.”
She, however, said, “I will get the information about the case and asked the victim to come before taking necessary action on the matter.”- By Our Reporter
if this what durbar can do, then to hell with role of traditional institution.