Dalit youth’s kin face boycott in Punjab's Malout post inter-caste marriage

The panchayat of Enna Khera village near Malout has allegedly socially boycotted the family of a Dalit youth who married a girl from the upper caste of the same village on July 11.

The panchayat had on July 31, 20 days after the wedding, passed a resolution against intra-village “runaway” marriages, which was also announced from the village gurdwara.

The resolution said if the village boy and girl elope and get married, then they would be expelled from the village. Any villager who supported them would also be dealt with severely, it said.

A copy of the resolution was displayed outside the house of the youth, Surinder Singh. His father Malkit Singh claimed that they last saw Surinder on July 7. “Some policemen, acting at the behest of the girl’s family, the panchayat and some others, detained us, including my brother, daughter and wife. The panchayat did not even allow us to enter the village, and some people ransacked our houses and stole belongings, including gold ornaments. We have approached the police.”

Arshdeep Singh, a cousin of the bridegroom, said, “My cousin married a girl who had studied with him with her consent. However, the police took us into custody and thrashed me inside the lock-up. I suffered internal injuries and was kept there for four days. I want justice.”

Malout DSP Iqbal Singh said, “We have taken preventive action against three persons. They were produced before the SDM yesterday. We have also directed the village panchayat to maintain communal harmony in the village and not harass the youth’s family. Besides, an inquiry has been marked. We have learnt that the panchayat had recently passed a resolution against intra-village marriages and made an announcement in this regard from the gurdwara as well.”

Dalit rights activist Ashok Mahindra from Muktsar, who is pleading the case, said, “The youth married the girl on July 11 and their marriage was registered in Rajasthan on July 14. The police are still not registering a case against the culprits.”

“I also demand that the CCTV footage of the police station be examined to know who was detained, for what fault, and whether women cops were present at that time. I appeal to the district administration to help the family in its rehabilitation,” he added.