MP village issues decree for boycott of families whose children elope for love marriage
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "MP village issues decree for boycott of families whose children elope for love marriage")
Viral videos show a man reading from a register about the social and economic boycott Photograph: (X)
SP Amit Kumar said the villagers have been told that such diktats are a violation of fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution, including the right to choose a life partner. Six people have been placed under a legal bond to maintain peace, he added.
After eight cases of elopement in the past six months, residents of the Panchewa village in the Ratlam district of central India’s Madhya Pradesh state have issued a decree, calling for a total social and economic boycott of such couples and the families whose children opt for love marriages. Videos from the village that have gone viral show a man reading from a register about the social and economic boycott of families where ‘love marriages’ had been reported. The man is heard saying that barbers and priests are forbidden from serving such families, villagers are barred from buying goods or milk from them, and their farmland cannot be leased. Moreover, anyone assisting such couples or providing shelter to them also faces a similar boycott.
The man announces that young men and women who elope and marry for love as well as their families would not be invited to any event. Even those helping such couples and their families would face the same action, he further said.
‘We married by choice and settled down, being harassed now’
Among those facing the diktat is a couple who married in June 2025, even though the families of both have now accepted their union.
“We married by choice and consent and settled down peacefully in our conjugal life. But some people are now harassing us,” said one couple.
The decree sparked tension in the village, prompting Jat community members, along with Rashtriya Jat Tejveer Sena, to approach the district collector and SP on Tuesday, demanding action against the people involved in issuing such a decree.
Trending Stories
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
As per some reports, the locals said that no social boycott was done, and the exercise was done only to discourage youth from eloping.
‘Legal action will be taken against those involved’
Ratlam Collector Misha Singh told media that the matter has been taken into consideration and an investigation is on, while denying that the decision was taken by the Gram Sabha.
“It’s a recent video where some local persons, led by one Manohar, took such decisions and made announcements. We have taken it into cognisance, and the local SDM (sub-divisional magistrate) and SDOP (sub-divisional police officer) visited the village to talk to locals. They found out that no formal resolution has been passed by the Gram Sabha, but since it’s a matter of great discord, legal action will be taken against those involved in this,” Ms. Singh said, adding that no complaint has yet been received by any family from the village.
SP Amit Kumar said the villagers have been told that such diktats are a violation of fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution, including the right to choose a life partner.
Six people have been placed under a legal bond to maintain peace, he added.
