TUMAKURU: A trader's family was reportedly banished from communicating with other residents of Kandikere, 66 km west from here, in the Chikkanayakanahalli assembly segment, which is law and parliamentary affairs minister J C Madhuswami's home turf, on Sunday.
Varadaraju Shresti and his family who run a grocery shop are facing ostracism with people not approaching them to buy items fearing the penalty imposed by village heads who held a 'panchayati katte' -- an unauthorised local court. The incident is evidence of local illegal 'panchayats' calling the shots in rural areas.
A group of villagers assembled at the Ellammadevi temple after the announcement was tom-tommed under the instruction of Gunjakaara Gowdaru of the temple.
"After deliberations and arguments, they claimed that our forefathers had sold pieces of land to two farmers Chandraiah and Thimmaiah and insisted that we transfer the land. But there were no documents indicating this. Without records, how can we register our land to them", Manohar, son of Shresti, told TNIE.