Couple Forced To Plough Field As ‘Punishment’ For Love Marriage In Odisha

Bhubaneswar: In a deeply disturbing incident that has sparked a statewide outrage, a young couple in Odisha’s Rayagada district was subjected to public humiliation and physical punishment for marrying against local customs.

The incident, which occurred in Kanjamajhira village under the jurisdiction of Sikarpai gram panchayat, came to light after a harrowing video surfaced on social media, showing the couple being forced to plough a field while yoked together with a bamboo harness — a crude apparatus traditionally used on bullocks.

According to local reports, the couple, who reportedly share a close blood relation, tied the knot despite strong opposition from their community. The man is said to be the paternal aunt’s son of the woman — a marital union considered taboo under local social norms.

In a chilling act of mob justice, villagers assembled in large numbers to witness the punishment. The couple was bound to a makeshift yoke fashioned from bamboo and wooden logs, then forced to drag it across a field, mimicking ploughing animals. No one from the crowd intervened to stop the degrading act.

After the ordeal, the couple was reportedly taken to a village shrine, where they were made to undergo traditional ‘purification’ rituals to atone for what community elders deemed a social transgression.

The video of the incident, which quickly went viral on Thursday, has drawn sharp criticism from rights activists, legal experts, and political leaders across the country. Many have condemned it as a barbaric and unlawful act, calling for immediate action against those responsible.

Sources said the local police has initiated an inquiry and are in the process of identifying individuals involved in the act.