- Many Punjab gram panchayats oppose marriages between people from the same village
- Several panchayats have passed resolutions to socially boycott such couples and families
- Incidents of violence and family feuds are cited as reasons for opposing same-village marriages
Some gram panchayats in Punjab are mounting stiff resistance to love marriages, especially if the couple hails from the same village.
Many have issued diktats against marriages between men and women from the same village or announced social boycott of such couples and their families.
They attribute the reason behind the decision to violent disputes, family feuds and disruption of social harmony.
In the last few days, the Sirsari and Anokhpura panchayats in Faridkot district, Manakpur Sharif panchayat in Mohali district, and Ghal Kalan panchayat in Moga district have passed resolutions against marriages between people from the same village.
A woman from Ghal Kalan village was allegedly assaulted last month after her son eloped with a girl from the village.
Jasbir Kaur's son had solemnised the marriage in May, following which the family was forced to leave. When Kaur returned to Ghal Kalan on July 21, she was allegedly manhandled by two women from the girl's family. A case was registered after the Punjab State Commission for Women intervened.
The Ghal Kalan village panchayat had earlier passed a resolution against same-village marriages, warning that such couples and their families would be boycotted.
The Manakpur Sharif panchayat in Mohali district passed a similar resolution on July 31.
"If any boy or girl holds a court marriage without the approval of their families, they will not be allowed to stay in Manakpur Sharif or nearby villages," the resolution read, adding, "If any family member or villager is found helping the couple, action will be taken against him or her." The resolution was passed after a couple from the village eloped and got married against the wishes of the girl's family. The girl's family seconded the decision.
Sarpanch Dalvir Singh said the resolution was passed "unanimously" as a measure to preserve harmony in the village.
At Galwatti village in Patiala's Nabha, a couple who eloped and got married in 2016 faced boycott. Taranjit Singh, who married Dilpreet Kaur and has two children from the wedlock, had returned to the village six months ago.
The panchayat passed a resolution against the couple.
"We are living in Galwatti at present. Villagers say that we cannot live here, they have asked us to leave. An illegal resolution has been passed to force us out. We have filed a court case against it. We will move high court if we do not get justice," Taranjit Singh said.
His advocate Amardeep Singh said the panchayat's diktat is illegal, and that it has no right to force the couple to reside elsewhere.
"Their marriage is legal. This diktat for their social boycott is totally illegal," the advocate added.
A few days ago, Sirsari and Anokhpura panchayats in Faridkot district also jointly passed a resolution against marriages between people within a village, stating that such weddings sometimes lead to violent disputes, besides affecting social harmony.
The resolutions stated that if such marriages take place, the entire gram panchayat and the residents will boycott the couple. It also expressed concerns over instances where married women have eloped with men from the same village.
The gram panchayats also demanded that the state government bans same-village marriages and discuss the matter in the Assembly on a priority basis.
Recently, a village in Bathinda district had also taken a similar decision to oppose same-village marriages, stating that such couples would not be allowed to stay there.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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