Maharashtra: Latur's Bhoi community abolishes 'jaat panchayat' as part of police initiative

Representative image. Pic/Istock

The Bhoi community in Maharashtra's Latur district has decided to not hold 'jaat panchayats' (caste congregations for dispute settlement etc) anymore and have given an undertaking to this effect to local police authorities, officials said on Saturday.

The letter on bond paper has been submitted with signatures of 74 members of the Bhoi community to Vivekanand police station, Inspector Sudhakar Bawkar told PTI.

"They have said they used to hold such jaat panchayats for resolution of several types of disputes, mostly minor ones, by coordinating with opposing groups and all stakeholders. However, since such panchayats have no basis in law, the community has said they will no longer hold them," he informed.

"The caste panchayat was abolished in 2016 but we officially declared it on Friday in the presence of Deputy Superintendent of Police Jitendra Jagdale and Inspector Sudhakar Bawkar. It was abolished in 2016 after my uncle, who was jaat panchayat head at the time, was booked in a case in Beed," Nagnath Gavate, a member of Bhoi community, said.

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The Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti (MANS) state executive president Madhav Bawge said such panchayats have no basis in law and there are several instances of its members threatening people with social boycott and extracting money from them.

"Some 700 families of the Bhoi community live in Latur city. Superintendent of Police Nikhil Pingale took the initiative to hold meetings of sarpanch, police patil, Anganwadi workers in each police station in the district to create social awareness on the issue," Bawge added.

Meanwhile, Deputy SP Jagdale said the move by the Bhoi community will motivate other communities as well.

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