In Bhopal’s Vidisha district, a man was reportedly ordered by the panchayat to marry off his minor daughter to make up for accidentally running over a calf a few months ago.
The man hailing from the Lodhi (Other Backward Caste) community had accidentally run into a calf while riding a two-wheeler The Indian Express reported.
It is usual practice in parts of Madhya Pradesh to impose social penalties on the culprit or his family for killing cows accidentally. In these situations, the usual norm is to take a dip in the Ganges or arrange a feast for the villagers for atonement for the sin of killing the cow.
In some cases, marrying off the daughter of the household, irrespective of her age, because the villagers believe kanyadaan is the culprit’s family is the only way to ward off the curse.
Keeping with the traditions of the village the man took the ritualistic bath in the Ganga river and was preparing to throw a feast for village elders to complete the atonement in Kolhua village.
The village elders, however, refused to turn up for the feast and instead asked him to marry his minor daughter on Friday.
As ordered by the panchayat, he was all set to marry his minor daughter but the Women and Child Development (WCD) department team escorted by police intervened and stopped the illegal marriage from happening on Friday when tipped that the girl was minor.
Pathariya Police Station In-charge, B D Singh stated that the family resisted the administrative action and refused to admit that the girl was minor. The girl’s family were of the opinion that the wedding wasn’t illegal as the girl was of marriageable age.
On checking the girl’s Aadhar card it was found that she was not even fourteen, however, no case has been registered. The WCD is investigating the matter.
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