How a young IPS officer helped end 12-year-long social exile in Banaskantha

Time of India

5 days ago

Ahmedabad: In the remote tribal belt of Banaskantha, 29 families who had lived in the shadows of social exile for over a decade have finally returned home — not by court orders or govt mandates, but through the quiet resolve and empathy of a young IPS probationary officer.
It all began in 2014, when a murder in Mota Pipodara village led to the invocation of a traditional tribal justice system known as 'Chadotara'— a traditional dispute resolution system. Intended as a means to restore harmony, it instead tore the community apart. Nearly 300 members of the Kodarvi community were ostracized, their homes abandoned, and their farmlands left to dry. Forced to leave, they survived as daily wage labourers in Surat, Palanpur, and other cities, cut off from their roots and identity.
For 12 years, no solution emerged — until fate intervened in the form of IPS probationary officer Suman Nala.
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Posted as assistant superintendent of police (ASP) in Danta, Nala, a 2021-batch officer, learned of the Kodarvi families' plight through an unlikely source — her domestic help.
The woman revealed that her parents were among those exiled due to a Chadotaru. Moved by the story, Nala began investigating. She discovered that the main accused in the original murder case had been acquitted years ago.
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Yet the punishment endured for the rest.
Despite being on probation, Nala took up the cause. Teaming up with Banaskantha SP Akshayraj Makwana and Hadad police sub-inspector Jayshree Desai, she began the process of dialogue with both communities. Round after round of patient negotiation with village panchs slowly began to bear fruit.
But Nala didn't stop at conflict resolution. Understanding that the families needed more than just permission to return, she spearheaded a coordinated effort with the district collector and local NGOs to secure funding for their resettlement.
A total of Rs 70 lakh was mobilized — Rs 40 lakh from the collector's fund and Rs 30 lakh from civil society.
The results are transformative. Farmlands once abandoned are now being cultivated. Thirty homes are under construction. Electricity and water connections are being restored. Children are back in school. A new community hall is rising, and concrete roads are being laid — paving not just the way home, but the path to a dignified future.
"This isn't just a return. It's a restoration of belonging," said an official statement from the police. "By choosing dialogue over division and empathy over enforcement, we've shown that policing can be a bridge to peace."
Today, as the Kodarvi families resettle, communities have joined hands to build a peaceful, progressive future — creating a historic moment that will inspire generations to come. The reunion of the Kodarvi families with their homeland is more than just an administrative success — it is a reminder that change begins with listening, and that one officer's compassion can heal wounds buried for years.