Himachal Police probe coercion, captivity & inter-caste marriage row in Doon

A sensational and tangled case has surfaced from the Doon region, revealing a complex web of allegations surrounding an alleged forced inter-caste marriage. A young woman has accused the village head of her panchayat of detaining her for two days and pressuring her into marrying a man against her will.

According to the complaint, she was promised Rs 2 lakh under the government’s inter-caste marriage incentive scheme and a house worth Rs 7 lakh for the young man if she agreed to the marriage.

The woman lodged a written complaint with the Baddi police station, prompting a fresh round of investigations. The police, however, clarified through an official press release that multiple complaints from both sides have complicated the matter.

The case initially began on November 4, when a woman from Kanjyara village in Kasauli complained to the Baddi Superintendent of Police alleging that she was in a live-in relationship and was being threatened by her family. Acting on this, the police registered a case against her parents under Sections 126 and 169 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). That very night, the police also received a distress call on helpline 112, reporting that the girl’s parents and several others were trying to take her away by force.

The situation escalated the following day, November 5, when the youth’s mother, residing in Vasni under Barotiwala police station, filed a counter-complaint alleging that the girl’s parents and associates had stormed their house, abused, assaulted and threatened them with dire consequences. Another case was subsequently registered at Barotiwala police station.

The plot thickened on November 7, when the girl’s parents submitted a fresh complaint to the Baddi SP, accusing the village head and others of detaining their daughter for two days and coercing her into an inter-caste marriage. A zero FIR was registered at Barotiwala police station and later transferred to Nalagarh for probe.