Couple in Odisha’s Koraput punished for marrying within same clan, forced to plough in public

In yet another instance of kangaroo courts handing out crude justice in Odisha, locals in the Bandhugaon area of Koraput district subjected a newly married couple to a public ‘purification ritual’ after learning they were related as siblings through the same extended family.

The incident took place in Peda Itigi village under Borigi panchayat of Narayanpatna block. According to sources, the bride and groom were yoked together like bullocks and made to plough the ground at the village square. Villagers claimed the act was intended as a symbolic penance to seek forgiveness from ‘Mother Earth’ for violating community norms.

Reports also stated that the couple had married recently despite opposition from relatives. Villagers, in return, made the couple perform the ‘ritual’, claiming that it would cleanse them for committing what they considered a breach of tradition.

Video Circulates, Sparking Debate

A video of the incident, reportedly recorded by a bystander, shows the couple struggling to move under the wooden yoke while a crowd watches. The footage has been widely shared online, triggering widespread outrage.

Eyewitness accounts state that the punishment was carried out in full public view, with both sides of the family present. The couple was made to drag a plough in the open, a practice villagers described as part of age-old customs.

As of the latest reports, no statement has been issued so far by either the couple or their families. Despite the viral video and growing condemnation from human rights groups, no FIR has been lodged in the matter so far and police have not commented on the matter.

Similar Incident in Rayagada Last Month

Last month, a similar punishment took place in Rayagada district’s Kalyansinghpur block, where another couple was forced to plough as penance for a ‘forbidden’ marriage. In that case, too, families initially resisted the relationship before agreeing on a so-called traditional ritual to ‘absolve the sin.’