New Delhi, June 25 -- The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of India has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report concerning the social boycott of a Scheduled Tribe (ST) woman's family in Odisha's Rayagada district after her marriage to a man belonging to a Scheduled Caste.

Terming the reported incident as a serious human rights violation, the NHRC has issued a notice to the Chief Secretary of the Government of Odisha, seeking a detailed report on the matter within two weeks.

According to the media report, the villagers enforced a "purification ritual" as a condition for the family's reacceptance into the community.

This ritual allegedly involved the forcible tonsuring of the heads of 40 male family members. The family was als...