Kendrapara: A 34-year-old woman social activist and her family of Nasipur under Pattamundai police limits faced social boycott as she raised voice against loud noise created by the sound system installed at a temple near her house, a report said.
Nirupama Das, the activist, has been living with her two kids near the village temple. The boycott by the villagers has left her in distress as her husband Sangram Pradhan, an engineer works outside the state. The villagers have barred her and her children from entering the temple and stopped talking to her after she opposed the round-the-clock playing of loud speaker in the temple. She also approached the police in this regard.
“I was in utter discomfort due to the noise as I am a heart patient. Besides, my children failed to concentrate on their studies due to it,” Nirupama justifying her objection said. Though she urged the locals to reduce the volume of the sound system, they didn’t care, the social worker added. Left with no option, she had to seek help from the police to get relief, Nirupama further said.
Even though the villagers stopped playing the loud speaker which was going on since March, they boycotted the family as an act of revenge, it was learnt.
The decision of the villagers in a meeting to restrict her and her kids from offering prayers in the temple was more painful as she had also donated about Rs 15,000 during the construction of the shrine, a report said.
Meanwhile, Nirupama filed a petition July 17 before the Taluk Legal Service Committee of Pattamundai over the issue.
When contacted, Pattamundai police station IIC Pramod Kumar Mallick, said an inquiry has been initiated and police are taking measures to settle the issue amicably.
Social boycott is an unfortunate incident in civil society and the matter should be resolved as soon as possible, said another social worker Pratap Padhi.
PNN
