Chamarajanagar: Couple fined Rs 6 lakh, boycotted for inter-caste marriage; case filed

Kollegal: In a shocking incident, a couple from Kunagalli village in Kollegal taluk, Chamarajanagar district, were fined Rs 6 lakh and boycotted in their village for their inter-caste marriage.

Govindaraju, belonging to the Uppara Setty community, had married Shwetha, who comes from a Dalit family, with the consent of their families. The couple had been residing in Malavalli, but they often visited Kunagalli to meet their parents.

The harsh punishment was allegedly meted out to Govindaraju and Shwetha after it was recently revealed that they belong to different castes. The matter reached the elders of the village, who called for a meeting on February 23 and imposed a Rs 3 lakh fine on the couple’s parents, asking them to pay it by March 1.

However, when the couple lodged a complaint with the police against 12 persons in the village in this connection, the elders increased the fine amount to Rs 6 lakh and boycotted Govindaraju’s family from the village, an IANS report said.

The couple has allegedly been sent out of the village, and a diktat has been passed that they should not purchase rations, vegetables, milk, and water from the village.

In this background, a case has been registered against Venkatashetty, Mahadeva, Mondasashetti, Kappanna, Maitha Nagashetty, Mahadevashetti, Siddeshshetti, Kashi, Jayalakshmi, Madhu, Rangaswamy, Kulla Kunjikudi, Mahadevashetti, and Tambadi.

(With IANS inputs)