*It's not just in Haryana, where diktat by self-styled khap panchayat's galore. A panchayat in Himachal's village allegedly forced a father, a Dalit, to perform the 'last rites' of his living son as he married an upper caste girl.*
The couple were in love and decided to get married, which is when the trouble started.
The father of the boy underwent all the humiliation and pain as he performed the last rites in Sirmour district. The couple now fear for their life. They were on the run till recently when they sought refuge in Shimla.
On Saturday, Dinesh Kumar, 26, and Nirjala Devi, 27, of Dabra village said they entered into a court marriage on June 27 in Shimla. Dinesh said he has also filed a complaint with the police fearing threat to their life.
Back home at their native village, members of Bokala-Pab panchayat in Sirmour couldn't care less about the Dalit family after knowing about the marriage.
*Punishment*
The panchayat, dominated by the upper castes representatives, handed out unpalatable edict to Dinesh's father, threatening to ostracise the family if the marriage was not annulled. As a part of punishment, the father was asked to declare his son dead and perform his last rites.
Nirjala said her parents refused to accord sanctity to their marriage and turned against them. She was told to leave her husband, take a dip in river Ganga and then to return to the family and village.
Sources said such incidents are common in the hill state. Himachal's rugged topography, where small village settlements stretch on mountain slopes to distant valleys, confines much of such diktats to village bounds, preventing public scrutiny at large, the source said.
The unwillingness to raise voice against such diktats is also an inhibiting factor to neutralise such developments, the source added. Reported by Deccan Herald 6 hours ago.
The couple were in love and decided to get married, which is when the trouble started.
The father of the boy underwent all the humiliation and pain as he performed the last rites in Sirmour district. The couple now fear for their life. They were on the run till recently when they sought refuge in Shimla.
On Saturday, Dinesh Kumar, 26, and Nirjala Devi, 27, of Dabra village said they entered into a court marriage on June 27 in Shimla. Dinesh said he has also filed a complaint with the police fearing threat to their life.
Back home at their native village, members of Bokala-Pab panchayat in Sirmour couldn't care less about the Dalit family after knowing about the marriage.
*Punishment*
The panchayat, dominated by the upper castes representatives, handed out unpalatable edict to Dinesh's father, threatening to ostracise the family if the marriage was not annulled. As a part of punishment, the father was asked to declare his son dead and perform his last rites.
Nirjala said her parents refused to accord sanctity to their marriage and turned against them. She was told to leave her husband, take a dip in river Ganga and then to return to the family and village.
Sources said such incidents are common in the hill state. Himachal's rugged topography, where small village settlements stretch on mountain slopes to distant valleys, confines much of such diktats to village bounds, preventing public scrutiny at large, the source said.
The unwillingness to raise voice against such diktats is also an inhibiting factor to neutralise such developments, the source added. Reported by Deccan Herald 6 hours ago.