A highly unusual incident has come to light in Saraikela, Jharkhand, where a village panchayat intervened in a case involving a married woman and her boyfriend. The panchayat, comprised of three separate councils, ordered the woman to leave her husband and go with her boyfriend, in front of the husband. The boyfriend was also penalized with a fine of one lakh rupees.
The incident occurred in Palashdih village, under the jurisdiction of the RIT police station. The boyfriend and another individual were caught by villagers while visiting the married woman. The villagers subsequently convened a panchayat and issued the ruling. The police attempted to intervene, but were met with strong opposition from the villagers, who insisted on handling the matter themselves.
The woman’s boyfriend, a resident of Chandil’s Chilgu Panchayat, and his friend had traveled to Palashdih on a Monday night to meet the woman. They were confronted by villagers, who assaulted them and detained all three individuals, including the woman.
Upon receiving the information, SDPO Sameer Kumar Savaiya and RIT police station in-charge Vinay Kumar Singh arrived with a police team. Despite their efforts to mediate, the villagers refused to allow police involvement, citing the issue as a social matter. The police were compelled to retreat while maintaining a presence to prevent escalation.
A meeting of the village assembly was conducted, following social norms. The panchayats representing the woman’s marital and parental families, along with the boyfriend’s village, came together. The panchayat, which lasted from morning to evening, decided to allow the woman to leave with her boyfriend, and a divorce was arranged. The case has generated considerable attention.