Gujarat may have been an exception to Khap panchayats and has proved its merit to be the role model of a number of States, but all doesn't seem to be as rosy as it seems, until now. A rare incident of punishing a couple for falling in love came to the fore recently at a tribal-dominated village in Chhotaudepur district. The sarpanch of Devalia village punished a 17-year-old girl and her friend by making them do 100 sit-ups in order to teach them a lesson for "demeaning the prestige of the village."
Though the incident had occurred nearly a week ago, it only came to light after the video of the couple getting punished became viral on social media. Police had filed a case later. The video reveals that the sarpanch, Soyabhai Rathwa, had made the girl, a student of Class VII, kneel down with the boy sitting on her back, and were forced to complete 100 sit-ups. She was also forced to crawl several yards on her knees in the presence of the village elders. It did not end with physical punishment as the families of the girl and the boy were fined Rs5,000 and Rs10,000 respectively. They have also been threatened that if the couple meets again they would be penalised with a sum of Rs5 lakh.
As if a penance of such cruelty was not enough, the sarpanch went on to threaten the girl and his family that if she met the boy again he would break her legs. "The decision of punishment was taken by all the members of the panchayat collectively. Such a harsh punishment was necessary to set an example that nobody in future dares to fall in love and humiliate the village's tradition. Decisions of marriages are taken only by the elders in this village," he said.
Interestingly, not a single witness dared to challenge the panchayat's verdict and informed police. The girl is learnt to have left the village. Police have started investigation, said Deputy SP HD Mewada, adding that a case has been lodged against 13 people, including the sarpanch. "We have already arrested five of them," said Mewada.