Unable to Read & Write Odia, Woman Sarpanch Loses Post in Bhadrak Dist

Bhadrak: Kuntala Mallick, the woman Sarpanch of Bayangdihi Panchayat under Dhamnagar block in Bhadrak district lost her post for not being able to read or write Odia.

Kuntala Mallick had defeated Bharati Behera in the last Panchayat elections to become the sarpanch. Bharati had approached the Dhamnagar court against Kuntala’s election alleging that she was unable to read or write Odia. The court directed the Bhadrak district Collector to invalidate the Sarpanch post.

Kuntala challenged the decision of the trial court in the Orissa High Court. But she could not prove herself to be literate in Odia even there.

Acting on Bhadrak Sub Collector Monaj Patra’s letter, Naib Sarpanch Pradeep Kumar Barik took oath as the the Sarpanch of Bayangdihi Panchayat.

As even after that, Kuntala did not leave her post, at the direction of the Sub Collector, Dhamnagar BDO pasted a notice in front of her residence and handed over the responsibility of the Sarpanch to Pradeep.

In Odisha, a Sarpanch candidate should be literate and she/he should be able to read and write Odia.