Madhya Pradesh Panchayat Declares Social Boycott Against Families Allowing Love Marriages

India

oi-Swastika Sruti

A
disturbing
incident
from
Panchewa
village
in
Madhya
Pradesh’s
Ratlam
district
has
sparked
widespread
concern
after
villagers
announced
a
social
boycott
against
families
whose
children
marry
by
choice.

A
video
of
the
announcement
has
gone
viral,
showing
how
deeply
personal
freedoms
are
still
under
threat
at
the
local
level.

The
video
shows
a
public
gathering
where
a
young
man
reads
out
what
villagers
call
a
“village
decision.” The
declaration
was
made
openly,
without
hesitation,
and
laid
out
strict
punishments
for
families
linked
to
love
marriages.

Families
Threatened
With
Complete
Social
Isolation

According
to
the
announcement,
if
a
boy
or
girl
elopes
or
chooses
to
marry
without
family
approval,
not
only
the
couple
but
their
entire
family
will
face
punishment.
The
decree
orders
a
full
social
boycott,
cutting
families
off
from
all
social
and
economic
life
in
the
village.

Such
families
will
not
be
invited
to
weddings
or
community
events.
They
will
be
denied
basic
services
like
the
supply
of
milk
and
will
not
be
allowed
to
hire
labourers
or
work
as
labour
themselves.

Villagers
were
also
warned
not
to
lease
land
from
these
families
or
allow
anyone
from
their
households
to
work
on
their
farms.

Warning
Issued
to
Supporters
as
Well

The
threats
do
not
stop
with
the
families
directly
involved.
The
video
makes
it
clear
that
anyone
who
helps,
shelters,
or
even
attends
the
wedding
of
a
couple
marrying
by
choice
will
face
the
same
punishment.
Villagers
were
warned
that
supporting
a
boycotted
family
would
result
in
their
own
families
being
socially
isolated.

In
a
troubling
move,
the
video
names
the
heads
of
three
families,
effectively
singling
them
out
and
placing
them
under
direct
threat
of
punishment.

Authorities
Step
In
After
Video
Goes
Viral

After
the
video
spread
widely
on
social
media,
local
authorities
visited
the
village.
Officials
from
the
administration,
including
the
Janpad
CEO
and
the
Patwari,
spoke
to
villagers
and
explained
that
social
boycotts
are
illegal
and
against
the
Constitution.

SDOP
Sandeep
Malviya
stated
that
strict
action
would
be
taken
as
per
the
law
if
a
formal
complaint
is
filed.
Officials
also
reminded
villagers
that
issuing
such
decrees
has
no
legal
standing.

Law
Protects
the
Right
to
Marry
by
Choice

Indian
law
clearly
states
that
a
woman
aged
18
years
and
a
man
aged
21
years
have
the
legal
right
to
marry
of
their
own
choice.
The
Supreme
Court
has
repeatedly
ruled
that
social
boycotts
and
community
punishments
are
illegal.

The
apex
court
has
also
made
it
clear
that
the
state
must
protect
adults
who
choose
to
marry,
including
in
cases
of
inter-caste
or
love
marriages.

Despite
this,
incidents
like
the
one
in
Panchewa
village
highlight
the
ongoing
struggle
between
constitutional
rights
and
social
control
at
the
grassroots
level.