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New Delhi: A panchayat in Haryana ordered the separation of an interfaith couple. The incident was reported from Patuwas village in Charkhi Dadri district of the state. Not only did they order the couple to end their marriage, but also ordered a social boycott of the boy's family, across 3 villages.
A 4-hour long meeting was held with the residents of Patuwas, Mahraana, and Kheri Sanwal villages after the marriage between Shahid and Preeti. The marriage had sparked tensions in the area. While Sahid is a Muslim, Preeti is a Hindu.
Two village heads, Kapoor Singh and Dharampal presided over the meetings. They were quoted by the Times of India as saying that Shahid would not be allowed to return to the village. The man said that the Muslim man's grandfather had agreed that his grandson would leave the village and never return. He also said that the village heads had decided to boycott the boy's family and will not have any social ties with them.
The village heads had ruled that the couple be separated. According to Dharampal, the separation process was already underway.
The entire controversy erupted when Shahid and Preeti got married on July 3. They had a 'nikah'. Protests broke out across the village and also in some neighbouring villages when people came to know about this interfaith union. Several Muslim shopkeepers in the area were forced to close their establishments.
Meanwhile the Police have been deployed at Shahid's house to maintain law and order. Efforts are on to restore peace in the region, with local leaders of both communities working with Dharampal.
Both the boy and the girl signed an affidavit to live separately and after that they were released from a government safe house. However, due to dissatisfaction among the villagers, the meeting was called.
