Taking cognisance of a report published in Hindustan Times, the Punjab State Women’s Commission on Wednesday directed a deputy superintendent of police (DSP) rank official to take immediate action against the social boycott of a family in Rogla village of Sangrur district.
In a directive to the Sangrur senior superintendent of police (SSP), the commission ordered immediate police intervention and summoned the involved parties.
The commission’s notice stipulated that the investigation must be led by a DSP-level officer to ensure legal compliance. The panel has demanded an action-taken report and directed both parties, along with the village sarpanch, to appear at its office on February 5.
The panchayat and residents of the village had recently passed a resolution to ostracise the family and demand their relocation after a local youth married a woman from the same village.
The decision, reached during a village gathering on Sunday, was termed “as a necessary step to protect the village’s prestige”. Local leaders cited a resolution passed over two months ago that prohibited intra-village weddings.
Gurpreet Singh, the husband of sarpanch Manpreet Kaur, claimed the family had previously agreed to leave the village following the wedding, but failed to do so.
When contacted, Dirba deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Rupinder Kaur Bajwa said that such a resolution is illegal. “Steps are being taken to defuse the tension and to resolve the matter. To date, neither the couple nor the villagers have approached the police with a complaint,” she said on Tuesday.
