Dalit family ostracised for refusing to play drums at funeral in Medak village
Dalit family in Medak was ostracised by village elders for declining to play drums at a funeral due to work commitments.
MEDAK: A Dalit family from Gouthojee Guda village, Manoharabad mandal in Medak district, was ostracised by village elders after refusing to play drums at a funeral. Panchami Narsamma, whose husband passed away in 2015, explained that her sons, who are employed, were unable to fulfil the request due to their work commitments.
The incident took place on September 3, when a village resident passed away. Narsamma was approached to have her son play the drums for the funeral procession. However, she informed the villagers that her sons, Panchami Chandram, an M.Com graduate, and Panchami Arjun, an M.Sc graduate, could not take leave from their jobs to attend.
In retaliation, the village elders declared that no one should communicate with Narsamma’s family. They even warned that anyone found speaking to them would face a fine of Rs 5,000 and possible expulsion from the village. This decision led to the family's isolation, with Narsamma lamenting that even their close acquaintances had stopped interacting with them. She also mentioned the difficulties they were facing, including having to procure household essentials from neighbouring villages.
Following media coverage of the incident, the SC/ST Commission intervened, prompting Narsamma’s family to lodge a formal complaint. The local police have since initiated action and have conducted awareness programmes in the village to prevent such incidents in the future.