Pudukottai: A 27- year- old woman and her mother have lodged complaint at the office of the Pudukottai District Superintendent of Police stating that the woman’s family has been ostracised from her Village for not paying the fine imposed to allow the woman who had a love marriage. The incident occurred at Ochapatti village near Kudumianmalai in Pudukottai district of Tamil Nadu.
Panchayat’s diktat: Woman forced to pay fine for exercising choice in marriage
In her complaint, Meena (name changed) alleged that she was forced by the dominant caste people of the village to fall on their feet and pay Rs 3,500 as a fine for having a love marriage. Even after doing so, Meena and her family have been ostracised from the village by not collecting money from them to conduct the village festival. She was also removed from the self-help group run by women in the village and told that she would not get her savings amount of Rs. 40,000, according to the woman’s complanit.
Love marriage leads to social exile
According to local sources, the woman who works as a sanitary worker in the Villiyammal panchayat, fell in love with a man from different locality and got married with her parent’s consent a few months ago. She was living in her husband’s place after marriage. Meena visited her native village recently and wanted to stay with her mother as she is pregnant. But, a few caste Hindu men including Balu, Saravanan, Mohan, and Murugan, led by Arumugam, who worked in the Revenue Department allegedly refused to allow Meena to enter the village and demanded a fine of Rs 10,000 for having love marriage.
According to the woman’s complaint, Arumugam, after inciting others, allegedly came drunk and spoke inappropriate words to her family last night.