Following a diktat by a panchayat at Babri village in Muzaffarnagar district, the “sinned” youth had to “offer” a girl from his family as a bride to his lover’s relative.
Shyam Kumar, a youth from Babri village, had eloped with a girl of the same village and same caste and got married a few days ago.
Based on a complaint filed by the father of the girl accusing Shyam Kumar of abducting his daughter, the police detained the parents and relatives of the youth for interrogation.
The lovers were later traced by the two families and brought back to the village. A panchayat was convened on Saturday to decide the punishment to be given to the youth and his family.“It will be a good lesson to Shyam and will serve as a deterrent to others. Whoever does so will know that the same will happen to his family also,” said Om Pal, a panchayat member.
According to reports, the two families have accepted the order. “A girl of Shyam's family will soon be married to the nephew of Chander Prasad, father of Shyam's lover,” the members said. A caste panchayat had recently “punished” a youth for a similar act by asking him to offer services at a temple to atone for his “crime.”