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Hindustan Times
19-07-2025
- Hindustan Times
Cook's ‘sasural' story brings 300 tribals back to their village after 11 years
Ahmedabad, An IPS officer's casual query to her cook about her 'sasural' triggered the return of 300 tribals to their village in Gujarat, 11 years after another group forced them to leave the place over a murder. Cook's 'sasural' story brings 300 tribals back to their village after 11 years The Kodarvi tribe members, belonging to 29 families, went back to their native Mota Pipodara in tribal-dominated Danta taluka of Banaskantha district on Thursday. They were welcomed by Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghvi and top police officers, said an official release. The homecoming of the displaced tribals, who had been living in different places, began taking shape after Suman Nala, assistant superintendent of police of Danta division, learnt about their plight from her cook Alka. When Nala asked Alka about her 'sasural', the tribal woman told the IPS officer that she had never visited the village because her tribe members had to flee Mota Pipodara in 2014 following a murder and subsequent attack on them, called by tribals as 'Chadotaru'. Alka told the police officer that one of their tribe members was accused of murdering a person from another tribal group. Mota Pipodara is about 50 km from Palanpur, the district headquarters of Banaskantha. According to Nala, 'Chadotaru' is an informal justice system prevalent among tribals. 'Under this system, village elders or panch try to resolve a conflict between two parties. If they fail to reach an amicable solution, the matter takes a violent form – Chadotaru – resulting in one group attacking the other and even destroying their property,' said Nala. These 300 tribals later took refuge in other parts of Banaskantha, while some even went to Surat to work as labourers. After being apprised of these tribal families in exile, Inspector General of Border Range Chirag Koradia and district SP Akshayraj Makwana initiated efforts to rehabilitate them again at their native place, said the release. Police officials interacted with members and elders of both tribes and persuaded them to bury the past. The initiative succeeded and ensured the return of these 300 tribals to their village after 11 years, it said. In his address at the event on Thursday, Sanghavi said the state government has taken concrete steps for their rehabilitation. Since these families used to own 8.5 hectares of land in the village, police officials got the land identified with the help of the revenue staff and handed it over to them after making it suitable for cultivation, said Sanghavi. While two houses with free electricity, water supply, and cooking gas connections have been constructed in the village with the help of NGOs, similar dwelling units for the remaining families will also be made soon, he added. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Time of India
19-07-2025
- Time of India
Cook's 'sasural' story brings 300 tribals back to their village after 11 years
An IPS officer's casual query to her cook about her 'sasural' (in-law's place) triggered the return of 300 tribals to their village in Gujarat, 11 years after another group forced them to leave the place over a murder. The Kodarvi tribe members, belonging to 29 families, went back to their native Mota Pipodara in tribal-dominated Danta taluka of Banaskantha district on Thursday. They were welcomed by Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghvi and top police officers, said an official release. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Select a Course Category MCA Finance Data Analytics Cybersecurity MBA Others healthcare Healthcare Leadership Management Artificial Intelligence Technology Data Science Degree Project Management Data Science others Digital Marketing CXO PGDM Product Management Design Thinking Operations Management Public Policy Skills you'll gain: Programming Proficiency Data Handling & Analysis Cybersecurity Awareness & Skills Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning Duration: 24 Months Vellore Institute of Technology VIT Master of Computer Applications Starts on Aug 14, 2024 Get Details The homecoming of the displaced tribals, who had been living in different places, began taking shape after Suman Nala, assistant superintendent of police of Danta division, learnt about their plight from her cook Alka. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like After Losing Weight Kevin James Looks Like A Model 33 Bridges When Nala asked Alka about her 'sasural', the tribal woman told the IPS (Indian Police Service) officer that she had never visited the village because her tribe members had to flee Mota Pipodara in 2014 following a murder and subsequent attack on them, called by tribals as 'Chadotaru'. Alka told the police officer that one of their tribe members was accused of murdering a person from another tribal group. Mota Pipodara is about 50 km from Palanpur, the district headquarters of Banaskantha. Live Events According to Nala, 'Chadotaru' is an informal justice system prevalent among tribals. "Under this system, village elders or panch try to resolve a conflict between two parties. If they fail to reach an amicable solution, the matter takes a violent form - Chadotaru - resulting in one group attacking the other and even destroying their property," said Nala. These 300 tribals later took refuge in other parts of Banaskantha, while some even went to Surat to work as labourers. After being apprised of these tribal families in exile, Inspector General of Border Range Chirag Koradia and district SP Akshayraj Makwana initiated efforts to rehabilitate them again at their native place, said the release. Police officials interacted with members and elders of both tribes and persuaded them to bury the past. The initiative succeeded and ensured the return of these 300 tribals to their village after 11 years, it said. In his address at the event on Thursday, Sanghavi said the state government has taken concrete steps for their rehabilitation. Since these families used to own 8.5 hectares (about 21 acres) of land in the village, police officials got the land identified with the help of the revenue staff and handed it over to them after making it suitable for cultivation, said Sanghavi. While two houses with free electricity, water supply, and cooking gas connections have been constructed in the village with the help of NGOs, similar dwelling units for the remaining families will also be made soon, he added.
Time of India
17-07-2025
- Time of India
How a young IPS officer helped end 12-year-long social exile in Banaskantha
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. You Can Also Check: Ahmedabad AQI | Weather in Ahmedabad | Bank Holidays in Ahmedabad | Public Holidays in Ahmedabad 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. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like An engineer reveals: One simple trick to get internet without a subscription Techno Mag Learn More Undo 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.
Indian Express
17-07-2025
- Indian Express
Forced into exile after murder case, 300 people of a clan return to their village in Gujarat's Banaskantha
It all started with a casual conversation between Alka, a cook, and her employer ASP Suman Nala last month. Nala, posted in the Danta division of Gujarat's Banaskantha district, asked Alka about her family and how often she visited her sasural (marital home). What Alka stoically told her next left the IPS officer shocked: Alka, along with scores of members of her extended Kodarvi clan, had to leave their village overnight after one of their distant relatives was accused of murder. The year was 2014 and the exodus from Mota Pipodara village in Danta taluka was part of the tradition of 'Chadotaru' – a tribal custom of justice wherein, in the case of murder, either a certain amount (or blood money, as Nala puts it), is paid to the kin of the deceased or the entire family of the offender goes into exile. Nala learned that the Kodarvis, land owners in their native village, have been compelled to work as either farm labourers in other villages or as diamond polishers in Surat following their exile. Alka's own husband works in Surat in one such unit. On Thursday, it was a homecoming for 300 people from these 29 Kodarvi families who were welcomed back to their village, 11 years after they left it, through the efforts of Banaskantha Police. Gujarat's Minister of State, Home, Harsh Sanghavi was also present at the function held in the village to celebrate the rehabilitation of the families. This was not the first time the families had attempted to return to their village. A few days before Alka's conversation with IPS Nala, the elders of the Kodarvi clan had submitted an application with the police seeking help in their rehabilitation to Mota Pipodara. As Alka shared all this information with ASP Nala, Banaskantha Superintendent of Police (SP) Akshayraj Makwana was alerted and soon, the police got involved in the matter. JR Desai, sub-inspector at Hadad police station, gathered details of the displaced families, contacted them, and initiated meetings with the village panchayat and elders of both communities to ensure peace and reconciliation. Over the next 20 days or so, police personnel engaged with all the parties involved, Desai said. Amid all this, an interesting nugget of information reached the police. The man from the Kodarvi clan, who had been accused of murdering a man from another clan during a party in 2014, had been acquitted by the trial court in 2017. What's more, he was able to go back to his village and restart from where he left while the rest of the members of his clan were living in extreme poverty, said SI Desai. After several rounds of negotiations, during which the community leaders were assured of being credited with a positive exercise while also being warned against disregarding the law, the Kodarvi community members could return to their village. These families possessed approximately 8.5 hectares of farmland in the village. In coordination with the District Inspector of Land Records, Banaskantha Police identified and measured this land. 'The once barren and overgrown land was levelled and made suitable for farming by the police,' said SP Makwana. As part of the resettlement efforts, two houses have already been constructed, and with support from the district administration, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, and various social organisations, the remaining 27 families will soon be provided with housing and other essential amenities. The police have raised Rs 70 lakh for the rehabilitation of the Kodarvis with Rs 30 lakh coming from donations and NGOs, and Rs 40 lakh in the form of government grants. Officials said that many families have already returned to the village and had built temporary shelters while construction and renovation of their homes is underway. Other families are expected to join them soon. Since the village is situated in a remote area accessed only by foot, funds have also been sanctioned for the construction of a road, an officer said.
The Hindu
17-07-2025
- General
- The Hindu
From exile to home: Tribal families reclaim roots in Gujarat village after a decade
In an emotional homecoming, 29 tribal families, who had left their ancestral village of Mota Pippodra in Banaskantha's Danta taluka 12 years ago due to a deep-rooted custom, were ceremoniously welcomed back on Thursday (July 17, 2025). These families, belonging to the Kodarvi community, had abandoned their native village on account of the tribal practice of Chadotaru — a traditional vendetta custom that had driven them into exile. The emotional return of nearly 300 members of these families to their ancestral land was facilitated through a collaborative initiative involving the Banaskantha police, local administration, and community leaders. The event was marked by symbolic rituals, heartfelt gestures of reconciliation, and a firm governmental commitment to integrate these families back into the mainstream with dignity and support. Addressing the gathering, Gujarat Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi called the occasion historic not just for Gujarat, but for tribal communities across India. 'Today marks the eradication of an old social ill and a step towards progress, peace, and collective prosperity,' he said. He praised the elders of both communities for choosing dialogue over conflict and honoured them on stage for their role in restoring harmony. 'Unity is the true identity of society, while hatred is a burden of darkness,' the Minister said. Mr. Sanghavi welcomed the returning families with kumkum tilak, conducted traditional housewarming rituals (gruh pravesh), and later they sowed maize seeds in their fields to mark a new beginning. Each household was provided with educational kits, ration supplies, a wheelchair in the case of a differently-abled member, and certificates of appreciation for their courage and patience. The Kodarvi families, who had scattered across Palanpur and Surat after fleeing Mota Pipada, were resettled on their legally owned 8.5-hectare land. The Banaskantha police, working with the District Inspector of Land Records, cleared and levelled the overgrown, desolate land to make it cultivable again, officials said. They said that two houses had already been constructed, and under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, efforts were underway to provide permanent housing for all families. Partnerships with voluntary organisations were also being leveraged to provide essential infrastructure and livelihood support. Mr. Sanghavi lauded the Banaskantha police for going beyond their security duties to help achieve lasting peace through community outreach. 'This is an exemplary case of law enforcement leading social change,' the Minister said.
