Excommunication case for inter-caste marriage: 12 arrested

The police have arrested 12 people in connection with the incident in which the village leaders behaved inhumanely and boycotted the couple for their inter-caste marriage.

This incident took place recently in Kungalli village of Kollegala taluk. The police had earlier arrested four people in this connection and eight accused surrendered before the police on Friday.

Govindaraju and Shweta complained to Kollegala DYSP office that two lovers had an inter-caste marriage in Kungalli of Kollegala taluk of the district, and the village master imposed a fine of 3 lakhs and banished them from the village.

Govindaraju fell in love with Shweta, the daughter of Prakash, who belongs to the Dalit caste of the village of Koppalu in Malavalli taluk of Mandya district, and got married in the presence of the family 5 years ago at the sub-register office of Malavalli.

Govindaraju made his home in Malavalli and worked. Govindaraju and Shweta Kungalli often come and go to the village and have been living together for five years. Even though inter-caste marriage was known in Govindaraju's house, none of the family members bothered him. He used to come and go to the village 2 to 3 times a month.

But Govindaraju's neighboring residents got information about inter-caste marriage and suggested that Shweta does not belong to our caste, she belongs to Dalit race, Jayalakshmi, Madhu, Rangaswamy, Kulla, Mahadevappa Mahadeva Shetty should inform the village masters and conduct panchayat two to three times and pay fine.

The couple lodged a complaint with the DySP office. However, after hearing about the complaint, the elders increased the fine amount to 6 lakhs and ostracized the Govindaraju family from the village. The villagers sent the family out of the village, ordered them not to buy ration, vegetables, milk and water from the village and threatened to burn the couple alive if their order was violated.

In this regard, the Kollegala DySP had received a complaint and instructed the Mamballi police to register a case under SCST atrocities and started an investigation. Accordingly, 12 people have been arrested now.