After an inter-caste marriage in Muktsar's Eena Kheda village, a Dalit family had to leave the village, house vandalised and looted. Police arrested three people.
Bathinda: A Dalit family of Eena Kheda village in Muktsar district of Punjab has been living outside the village for the past one month after their son’s inter-caste marriage. The family alleges that the house was vandalised and looted in their absence, which is being done by the girl’s relatives.
22-year-old Surinder Singh, who belongs to the Dalit community, married an 18-year-old Jat Sikh girl from his own village on July 7. The marriage took place at a gurdwara in Sri Ganganagar (Rajasthan) and both of them also received a legal marriage certificate. But this marriage spread tension in the village, as earlier the Panchayat had passed a resolution opposing ‘marriages within the same village’.
Surinder’s father Malkit Singh, an Amritdhari Granthi, and his uncle Gurmeet Singh, a painter by profession, said they had to leave the village and take shelter with relatives after their son and daughter-in-law eloped and got married. They allege that a few days later, a group led by the girl’s family broke into their house, broke things and stole things. When they returned home, they were abused with casteist slurs.
The family has filed a police complaint and demanded justice. “The village panchayat may oppose our son’s return, but that does not mean we have to suffer humiliation and violence,” Malkit Singh said.
Police action
Malout DSP Iqbal Singh Sandhu said action was taken after receiving a complaint on Friday. Police arrested three people, including the girl’s father and brother, under Section 126/170 of the BNSS as a precautionary measure. “We are taking steps to prevent the situation from worsening and turning into a full-blown caste conflict,” he said.
This incident has come to light after the case when on July 29, the mother of a youth was also attacked in Ghal Kalan village of Moga district because her son had married a girl from the same village. In that case, the Punjab State Women Commission had taken cognizance and an FIR was registered against many accused including the village sarpanch.
Opposition to marriages in the same village increased
Panchayats of many villages in Punjab have passed resolutions in recent months opposing marriages taking place in the same village. Panchayats justify this by citing social tradition and pressure on the community. However, rights activists and legal experts are calling these resolutions unconstitutional and discriminatory.
Rajan Chaudhary
Courtesy : Hindi News