Ostracized couple not lone case in Wayanad: Lincy A K

WAYANAD: The district women protection officer, who took statements from a lady in Mananthavady allegedly facing ostracism from her community over her ‘love marriage’ with a man in the same caste but outside the Gothra, will report to the social justice director on Tuesday. Protection officer Lincy A.K. had recorded statements of the couple, parents, community leaders and the locals the other day. She said the couple, Arun and Sukanya, faced ‘ostracism’, but theirs could not be an isolated case. “There could be more people marrying outside their caste, and facing alienation from the rest. Fearing further complication to the family, they prefer to stay silent and here, Ms Sukanya, came out to reveal her plight,” said the officer.

The community leaders informed her that ‘it was not ostracism (Bhrasht), but they keep those who fail to observe the rules of the community away from their customs. Mr Arun and Ms Sukanya had their marriage registered in 2012 and got a two-year-old daughter. Though both of them belong to the ‘Yadava’ community, they say, there were differences in their sub-caste. Ms Sukanya had alleged that she was not allowed to interact with her family and the family also faced ‘punishment’ and kept away from the community for three months for talking to her.

After their plight had reached the Prime Minister’s office through Narendra Modi mobile app, they intervened and informed the chief minister’s office. As per the directions of the CM’s office, the social justice department asked the Mananthavady police to talk to the community leaders. However, no consensus was made in the talks held on Saturday. Yadava Seva Samithi will hold a press conference on Wednesday in Mananthavady to explain their stance.

Another couple files complaint

One more couple has come forward against the ostracism among the Yadava community in Mananthavady over another ‘love marriage’. Mahendran, Club Kunnil, and wife Kusuma filed their petition before police on Tuesday, stating that they were facing ostracism from the community for accepting their son Praveen Kumar and daughter-in-law Minnumaya, who married out of their will in 2013.

According to the petitioners, their earlier complaints to the police and the human rights organisations did not bear fruit, and they gathered the courage to complain again after the news of the intervention of the Prime Minister’s office in a similar case from Mananthavady. Praveen and wife are now living in Bengaluru. Kusuma alleged she was not even allowed to attend the funeral ceremony of her twin sister. Praveen tied the knot with Minnumaya in a temple secretly and later, his parents made them register their marriage and accepted them, and this acceptance allegedly irked the community heads.