The village panchayat of Oindh village in Nissing area of the district has ordered the couple, Pawan and Kavita, to live as brother and sister as their gotra was the same.

“Their marriage was illegal and against the social norms, the panchayat ordered them to live separately and also took into its possession their 10-day-old child,” panchayat head Rajesh Kumar told reporters.

The husband’s family has also been fined Rs. 60,000 for violating the social norms and traditions, Mr. Kumar said, adding the money would be used for the upbringing of the child.

Mr. Pawan said, “The panchayat ordered that I and Kavita could not live as husband and wife and that our marriage was illegal since our gotra was the same.”

He has lodged a complaint with the police.

“Pawan lodged a complaint alleging that he and his wife had been made brother and sister forcibly by the village panchayat,” Deputy Commissioner Balbir Singh Malik told PTI. The complaint was being investigated, he added.

Justifying the panchayat’s decision, Minister of State for Archaeology, Museum and Archives Meena Mandal, who is an MLA from the Jundla reserved Assembly constituency in the State, said, “The two are at fault for marrying against social norms, as marriages within the same gotra are not allowed.”

“I would appeal to children not to marry in the same gotra,” the Minister told reporters.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Karnal, A.S. Chawla, denied any complaint had been filed. “We have not received any complaint from any side,” he said, adding that it was not possible to intervene in marriage disputes without getting a complaint.

Mr. Chawla said the police were trying to persuade the couple and their associates to lodge a complaint so that the police can take action. — PTI

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