A teenage couple was reportedly by a local panchayat called by son of a MlA of the ruling Samajwadi Party in Gulariya locality of Gorakhpur earlier this week. Interestingly, the local police denied that the lovers were harassed and went on to even claimed that it was MlA’s son who settled the dispute and allowed that if the couple wanted to enter into wedding lock than no one should interfere.
Sources said that 16-year-old Rachna Nishad (name changed), hailing from Khuthankhas locality of Gulariya in Gorakhpur, was having a love affair with 21-year-old Raghav Nishad (name changed). Both Rachna and Raghav, wanted to get married but their family members were against it as they were cousin and their community not allowed a brother and a sister to enter into wedding-lock. Reports said that when the duo refused to listen to their family members, the senior members of the community called a village panchayat to settle the issue on last Sunday.
Sources further maintained that the panchayat first asked the two to bow down before the orders of their parents and break their relations but when they refused, the panchayat, in presence of son of a Samajwadi Party MlA, got the faces of both Rachna and Raghav, got painted black and forced them to take the round of the village. They also tortured the two to force them to end the affair.
However, local police denied the above report and said that the panchayat was called on the matter and the MlA’s son was also present. But they said that the lovers were not tortured or harassed but after listening their stories, it was leader’s kin who forced the panchayat to allow the two to live their lives on their own `will’ and that if they wanted to get married, they both are free to do so. Cops claimed that after the above settlement, the panchayat was called-off.