Indian Couple made to Eat Cow Dung for Intercaste Marriage

An Indian couple has complained to a District Magistrate after they were subjected to abuse from the community and the panchayat.

The incident happened in the Prem Nagar area of Uttar Pradesh.

It was reported that the couple were forced to drink cow urine and made to eat cow dung after they had an intercaste marriage.

The panchayat also fined them Rs. 5 Lakh (£5,400).

The man explained that he had an intercaste marriage on June 30, 2015. Following this, his family were excluded from the community.

Locals also stopped speaking to the man and his family.

In February 2020, a panchayat was elected to lead the community. This led to the couple asking to be included in the community again.

The panchayat accepted their request on the condition that they ate cow dung and drank cow urine.

After also asking them to hand over Rs. 5 Lakh, the couple were made to take on the degrading request.

They completed the request, however, the panchayat said he would need to take some time before coming up with a decision.

This led to the Indian couple to approach the District Magistrate and explain their ordeal.

After hearing their statement, the District Magistrate instructed City Magistrate Salil Patel to explain the law on intercaste marriages to the panchayat.

The information was also passed on to the police where they filed a case against six people.

Officers told the panchayat and locals that if anyone harassed or boycotted the couple in the future, legal action will be taken against them.

While social views are becoming more open, some people still view intercaste marriages as taboo.

Intercaste marriages in India has led to couples being disowned by their families, emotional strains and even honour killings.

Some couples have requested for police protection out of fear that they would be harmed by their families.

In one case, a newly married couple explained that they asked for police protection after being harassed by the wife’s family.

Arjun said that his community was also being targeted.

He said: “My wife’s family members are harassing my family members despite the fact that Sonal had come with me on her own.

“Even the police is not taking a complaint from my family.

“The people of the Prajapati community are also being harassed by Sonal’s community members often.”

His wife Sonal urged her father to stop harassing her husband’s family. Sonal’s family objected to the marriage as Arjun was from a different caste.

Despite their love marriage, Arjun and his family were subjected to an ongoing ordeal.

The police took note of their appeal and told the couple to file a complaint if they feel at risk.