Patna: A village court in Bihar has banished a girl and her family from their home after the girl chewed betel leaves offered by her boyfriend at a local village fair, prompting instant police action. The police have registered cases against seven villagers who were involved in the whole barbaric act.
The incident relates to Parbalpur village in north Bihar’s Madhubani district.
Police said Julema Khatoon (17) and Shabana Khatoon (15), both from Parbalpur village under Bheja police station of the district, had gone to a local village fair where they came across a village youth Mohammad Minu. On seeing the girls, the youth offered the girls betel leaves to chew which they accepted.
The news however angered the local villagers who caught hold of the accused and tied them to ropes. Soon a court was held at the village which ordered to beat up the “accused” after which all were beaten up badly with bamboo sticks.
Their hairs were also haphazardly trimmed on the order of the court which also imposed a fine of Rs21,000 on each of the three and ordered them to leave the village if they fail to deposit the penalty.
Subsequently, two of the “accused persons” deposited the fine with the village court but since Shabana’s family was too poor to pay the fine, they were asked to hurriedly leave the village which they did. The court also locked their house to ensure the family do not return.
Meanwhile, the police have registered a case against nine villagers on the basis of a complaint of the family who was banished from the village as a punishment for not paying the fine for the crime the girl had committed.
None of the villagers have yet been arrested although the police have launched drives to arrest the accused who have gone into hiding.
In November last year, a villager from eastern Bihar’s Purnia district had imposed a fine of Rs25,000 on his wife after she gave birth to a female child, forcing the authorities to intervene in the matter.
