Some villagers were unhappy because the couple had married in violation of local societal norms.
- A mob in Odisha tied a young couple to a yoke and made them plough a field
- The couple married against local customs forbidding marriage between close relatives
- The man is the son of the woman’s paternal aunt
Intent on punishing and humiliating a young couple for marrying against local societal norms, a mob in Odisha tied them to a yoke, like oxen, and made them plough a field.
The disturbing incident was filmed and the video is now being widely shared on social media, triggering outrage.
The young man and woman, who are from Kanjamajhira village in Rayagada district, had fallen in love recently and got married. Some villagers, however, were against their decision because the man is the son of the woman's paternal aunt. Such a marriage is considered taboo as per local customs.
To punish the couple, a mob tied them to a wooden yoke and made them drag it across a field. The video shows two men beating both the man and the woman with a stick as they did so.
Following this public humiliation, the couple was taken to the village shrine and made to perform purification rituals to 'cleanse' their perceived sin.
Superintendent of Police S Swati Kumar said on Friday that a team has visited the village to carry out an investigation and an FIR has been filed in the case.
In a similar incident in January, 40 members of a family from Rayagada district were forced to shave their heads as part of a 'purification' ritual after a woman married a man from another caste.
(With inputs from Dev Kumar)
