The panchayat of a village in Haryana’s Fatehabad district has issued a diktat banning the entry of a widow into her in-laws’ village for the next 15 years.
Bala Devi said after her husband’s death, the panchayat in Dhani Bhojaraj ordered her to not step foot in the village till her son turned 18.
Devi said a panchayat was called after her in-laws refused to give her husband’s share of the land after his death. They then agreed to register it in her son’s name but objected to her entry into their house.
“However this week, the panchayat passed a diktat banning my entry into the village for the next 15 years. It has asked me to live at my parental home along with my son and daughter and allowed to rejoin my in-laws only after my son turns 18,” she said.
Stating that the panchayat had done injustice with her, Devi added, “It is very difficult for me to live at my parental home for so long.”
Sarpanch Sadhu Ram, when contacted, said the panchayat did pass an order to such effect.
“We had called a panchayat after Devi and her in-laws were constantly engaging in domestic fights. Initially, the in-laws were accusing Devi of her husband’s death but later accepted their mistake. We have asked Devi to return to her in-laws’ house when her son attains the age of 18 years,” Ram said.
{{/usCountry}}“We had called a panchayat after Devi and her in-laws were constantly engaging in domestic fights. Initially, the in-laws were accusing Devi of her husband’s death but later accepted their mistake. We have asked Devi to return to her in-laws’ house when her son attains the age of 18 years,” Ram said.
{{/usCountry}}Bhuna block development and panchayat officer Mahender Singh said the panchayat has done injustice to the widow and the sarpanch did not have any right to pass such a diktat.
“We can take action only against the sarpanch. Rest of the investigation will be done by the police if the woman files an official complaint,” Singh added.