PUNE: The Khadak police on Wednesday booked five trustees of the Padmashali Panch Committee under the Prohibition of People from Social Boycott (Prevention Prohibition and Redressal) Act for allegedly threatening to boycott a 37-year-old man from the community.The complainant, a resident of Mahatma Phule Peth, alleged that the committee members had also demanded Rs5 lakh, just to approve the transfer of a rent agreement from his grandfather's to his name. He also alleged that the members had defamed him by circulating the boycott messages on social media.V S Pawar, the assistant inspector of the Khadak police, said that along with the Section 3(8) and 15(5) of the Prohibition of People from Social Boycott (Prevention Prohibition and Redressal) Act, the police have also booked the suspects under Sections 385 (putting person in fear of injury in order to commit extortion), 500 (defamation), 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC.The complainant runs a general store on the premises owned by the committee at Ganj Peth. The shop was taken on rent from the committee by his grandfather. "The complainant wanted to transfer the lease agreement to his name," Pawar said.The inspector added, the complainant claimed he, and his father, had been requesting the committee to transfer the agreement. But the members were not ready to do so. "The complainants accused the senior members of demanding Rs 5 lakh for giving the permission. He claimed that they had also sought Rs 15,000 rent per month from him," Pawar said.When the complainant refused to give them the money, the suspect threatened to throw him out of the property. "In 2016, the complainant had approached the police and had filed the complaint application against the committee members," Pawar said, and added, "At that time, the police had summoned the senior members of the committee for questioning."Following the incident, the members had asked the complainant to tender an apology."The complainant claimed that the members started defaming him in the community. He claimed that the members had instigated the community to boycott him and had also circulated defamatory messages on social networking sites," Pawar said.The police official said the complainant had approached the police in May. "The offence was registered after seeking the opinion of the public prosecutor," he said.The new law proposes action against extra-judicial bodies like jat (caste) and community panchayats, and prescribes a maximum punishment of three years in jail. As per the law, the offence of imposing social boycott will attract a maximum punishment of 3 years in prison or a fine up to Rs 1 lakh or both. The abetment of the offence also attracts the same punishment and fine.

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