Boinda: The body of a man, who was ostracised for marrying outside his caste three decades ago, was left unattended to for nearly 30 hours, prompting the police and panchayat officials to intervene and conduct his last rites. According to sources, Pandei Bhoi, 64, of Rampur under Maimura panchayat in Athmallik block, had married Rani Nayak from another caste 30 years ago. Following the intercaste marriage, Bhoi was excommunicated from his caste group and barred from participating in community activities. The couple, who had no children, lived a largely isolated life. Bhoi had been suffering from kidney-related ailments for several years. He died around 10am Tuesday.
His wife informed members of the caste community, some of whom came to see the body but refused to carry it for the funeral, continuing the decades-long social boycott. With no one willing to help, the body remained inside the house throughout the night and into the next day. Residents eventually alerted the Athmallik sub-divisional administration Wednesday.
Acting on instructions from authorities, Thakurgarh police and panchayat officials reached the village and arranged for the funeral around 4pm. Panchayat executive officer Ramachandra Parida also provided Bhoi’s wife with Rs 3,000 under Harishchandra Yojana. Athmallik Sub-Collector Upendra Luha said police had been directed to ensure proper disposal of the body. Thakurgarh police station IIC Shashi Bhushan Behera confirmed that the police and panchayat jointly facilitated the funeral.
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