Lok Kalyan Sansthan

This is a story of 22-year-old Hawa Devi, daughter of Late Jogaram. Hawa Devi is the ninth and the youngest child in the family. Her father died when she was very young. She got engaged to Thanaram, son Durgaram, a resident of Bhoorajgarh at a mere age of 14 years. At the same time her brother Tulsaram was also got engaged to the cousin of Thanaram.

After three years when the marriage time came, they visited their in-laws; they were astonished to know that Thanaram is blind! This made them straightly refusing their daughter to marry him.

Panchayat of Kumhar Samaj called for a meeting in May 2006 and decided a social boycott of the family of Hawa Devi. They also imposed a fine of Rs 51,000 and Rs 25000 as expenses of the panchayat. They also ordered Ugma Devi, wife of Tulsaram, not to go to her husband till the problem is solved.

They were stopped ploughing their field, water connection to their house was cut, shopkeepers stopped selling them, and she was also expelled from the school where she used to cook food. These problems made them plead again to the panchayat but to no avail.The panchayat imposed a heavy penalty of Rs 3 lakh, and ordered Hawa Devi to marry the blind, Thanaram. When they appealed for justice, the villagers beat them up.

The tormented family made efforts to lodge a report against the panchayat. The officer at the police station, Shergarh, told them to work according to the panchayat and did not register the complaint. They went to the office of Dalit Adhikar Abhiyan and told the whole story.They were helped and case against the panchayat was registered on January 4, 2008, under sections 143/342/384/500/149 at Shergarh police station.

But even after one month no action was taken and the affected family was threatened to go for a compromise or else face a false case in the court. This made them approach Dalit Adhikar Abhiyan again and so they laid a seize on the office of sub-block officer enciting the panchayat to file a false dowry case against Tulsaram through his wife. They were tortured and this made them sit for infinite seize on February 4, 2008, to arrest the 35 panchs, and taking legal action against the police officer at Shergarh.

Local politicians and police came to help their officer and tried forcibly to end the seize, but the affected family was unmoved. The case was highlighted in the media and the administration came into action very fast. The affected family also met area commissioner and the parliamentary committee from Delhi. The accused police officer influenced the panchs to go for a compromise with the affected family.

The panchs came to them on February 4, 2008, and agreed to compromise on any terms making the next day an end to the family’s miseries through a written statement. It stated that the affected family is inside the society, Hawa Devi is free to marry anywhere, and Tulsaram is free to call her wife.

In this way the family’s efforts bore fruits, defeating the caste panchs.