Madhya Pradesh village panchayat says it will boycott families whose members elope and marry

A village panchayat in Ratlam district of Madhya Pradesh has announced a social boycott of families where their members enter into love marriages, after a series of elopements and inter-caste marriages over the past six months triggered anger among villagers.

The decision was taken at a meeting held three days ago in Panchewa village of Piploda tehsil, and came into the public domain after multiple videos of the gathering surfaced on social media.

Villagers claim that under a dozen couples married without family consent in the last six months. According to residents, tensions rose further after some of the women allegedly refused to identify their parents at police stations and before magistrates. Following this, a meeting of village elders, panchayat members and residents was convened, where a series of social and economic restrictions were announced against families of those who married after eloping.

Several videos of the meeting show a villager holding a register and reading out what he describes as a unanimous decision of the village. In the footage, he’s heard saying that the decision “has been taken by all the residents of Panchewa village. Any boy or girl who elopes and gets married will face restrictions, and so will their family”. He then lists the measures, stating that “no milk or goods will be supplied to such families, no one will invite them to social or family functions, and no work will be given to them in the village.”

He also announces that “priests, barbers and other service providers will not go to their houses”, and adds that “anyone who helps the couple, shelters them, acts as a witness to the marriage or supports them in any way will also be socially boycotted”.

After the videos went viral, officials from the local administration visited Panchewa village and interacted with residents in the presence of the sarpanch. Additional District Magistrate Shalini Shrivastava has also directed the Jaora Sub-Divisional Magistrate to look into the issue.

Authorities have said they are looking into the video and the circumstances under which the decisions were taken. Ratlam Additional Superintendent of Police Vivek Kumar told, “The video issued by the villagers has come to our notice. Instructions have been given to police officers concerned to examine the matter and take action against those responsible when we get a complaint. The local administration has been dispatched to the village to speak to the residents.”