Fisherman ostracized for failing to pay membership fee in Mancherial

A fisherman from Bokkalagutta village in Mancherial district alleged that he was socially boycotted by a fishermen cooperative society for failing to pay a membership fee. The incident triggered criticism on social media, with users demanding action against such practices

Mancherial: A fisherman was allegedly ostracised for failing to pay a membership fee to a fishermen cooperative society at Bokkalagutta village in Mandamarri mandal on Sunday.

The fisherman, Suthari Ramesh, alleged that he was banished from his community for failing to pay the membership fee of Rs 1,500 to the society. He claimed that he had paid Rs 3,500 out of the total fee of Rs 5,000, but could not clear the remaining amount due to his weak financial condition.

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He regretted that he was subjected to the barbaric punishment for seeking an extension of the grace period to pay the fee. He requested officials to take steps to allow him to stay with his community and permit him to catch fish in an irrigation tank located in the village. He stated that fishing was his only source of livelihood.

Meanwhile, the incident went viral on social media platforms. Users on WhatsApp and Facebook slammed the society for socially boycotting the poor fisherman. They termed it an injustice and urged officials to take steps to eradicate such barbaric practices in the digital era.