Potter Community Ostracised for Helping Dalits in Jangaon
Tensions between OC and SC community members in the village had been simmering
WARANGAL: In a severe case of social boycott, families belonging to the Kummari (potter) community were ostracised in Obukkeshavapuram village of Jangaon district.
The boycott was reportedly enforced by leaders from the OC (Other Caste) and BC (Backward Class) communities after the Kummari families supplied pots to SC (Scheduled Caste/Dalit) families for a wedding and the Bonalu festival.
Tensions between OC and SC community members in the village had been simmering. Earlier, SC elders had decided to stop providing services such as drumming at funerals for other castes. In retaliation, OC and BC leaders instructed their communities to avoid all interaction with SC families.
When the Kummari families defied this informal ban by providing pots to SC families, they were punished for violating a village resolution. Villagers were told to stop purchasing pottery from the Kummari families and to buy from Jangaon town instead. Those supporting or trading with the boycotted families were also threatened with similar exclusion.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Raja Mahendra Naik took immediate action after receiving a complaint and directed inspector P. Satyanarayana Reddy to visit the village. The inspector met both groups and warned them of the serious legal consequences of enforcing a social boycott.
However, despite police intervention, Kummari community member K. Chandraiah said that OC and BC leaders refused to lift the boycott, asserting that supporting SC families was unacceptable. The inspector issued a 48-hour deadline for the groups to resolve the issue, warning that police would initiate formal action against those perpetuating social exclusion.
