Kota: The entire government and public machinery at Haripura, a village of about 200 houses in Hindoli Tehsil of Bundi district, chose to be a mute spectator as village heads forced a minor girl to undergo ill-customs in the name of ‘penance.’The penance dictated by the village heads on July 3, a day after five-year-old Khushbu accidentally stepped on a bird’s nest and broke its eggs, was severe - no entry into the house, nobody allowed to touch her except for her family members, food to be served from a distance and to sit or sleep alone on a charpoy in the front yard.Despite that, nobody came forward to help the family and support her father’s efforts to protect his child, which seemed futile. Be it the two teachers at Khushbu’s government primary school, those employed at the local anganwadi centre or the visiting ANMs at the village.The government primary school head master Chotulal Meena said they are responsible only for what happens at the school. “We did hear of the punishment but she was not being subjected to any discrimination and punishment within the school. Here, she was allowed to mingle with the other students.”Another residential government teacher of the village, Ramswaroop Gujar, who is posted in nearby Jhopidiya village also turned a blind eye to the incident. “I am posted in the nearby village school, and my home is at the other end of the village,” he claimed.Haripura village falls under the jurisdiction of Sarpanch of Satur grampanchyat, Mangilal Meghwanshi. Villagers took a very light and insensitive note on the incident and said, “We did not intervene in the matter as it was issue of a particular community.”Khushbhu’s father Hukumchand approached the district officials on Tuesday, after he could no longer meet the demands for ‘purification’ rituals. The father was asked to offer 1 kg of backed chickpeas, snacks and a bottle of English wine to Khap panchyat members along with fodder to cows, edibles to fish in the river. He finally talked about his ordeal to the in-charge of a Gaushala in Bundi city, where he worked and together they approached the district administration.

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