Several tribal families in Dumaria block of Jharkhand’s East Singhbhum district were allegedly ostracised by the village head for not celebrating a festival in the manner that he wanted, officials said.

Almost a dozen families of Chota Asthi had approached Deputy Commissioner Manjunath Bhajantri on Friday, apprising him of the matter, they said.

The tribals claimed they had celebrated the ‘Sohrai’ festival in October last year, following which Gram Pradhan Rupai Hansda issued a diktat, allegedly barring them from availing benefits under various government schemes.

“We did not celebrate the festival how he wanted... After that, even our children were not allowed to attend school or visit the nearby playground,” one of them told reporters.

Asked about the incident, Bhajantri told PTI: “I have instructed the block development officer (BDO) and the local police to convene a meeting with the gram pradhan, the aggrieved families and other stakeholders in order to settle the matter." “The diktat issued was unlawful, and legal action could be taken against the gram pradhan if required,” he added.

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