A Dalit family has allegedly been ostracised after their son married the daughter of a village head (mukhiya) in Jharkhand’s Dhanbad district, police said on Wednesday.

The newly married couple left the village in a bid to protect their lives, while the groom’s parents were allegedly prevented from fetching drinking water from a public water tank and bathing in the pond by villagers, the family members claimed.

The parents alleged that local shopkeepers are also not selling food items to them.

The incident happened in a village in Darida panchayat under Barora police station, some 200km from capital Ranchi, police said.

Barora police station officer in-charge Nandu Pal said he received a complaint from Mahendra Kalindi, the groom’s father, about facing social boycott by villagers.

"We are investigating the matter. Legal action will be taken if the complaint is found true as no one can be denied fundamental rights," he said.

It all started after Karan Kalindi, who belongs to a Dalit family, married Darida panchayat mukhiya Parwati Devi’s daughter, and both of them reached Dhanbad Mahila police station last Thursday seeking police protection from their family members.

After police called both the families for talks, they accepted the marriage.

"When we returned to our village, local residents started to socially boycott us. The villagers came to our home and threatened us with dire consequences if the newly married couple was allowed in the village. They also stopped us from fetching drinking water, bathing in pond and taking food items from local shops," groom’s mother Sumitra Devi alleged.

On Sunday, the groom's family lodged a complaint against some villagers for boycotting them socially.

Parwati Devi, however, refuted the allegation of ostracism by the groom’s family.

"I have broken all my relations with my daughter. I have nothing to do with her. We live in a society and can’t stop any person from fetching drinking water and bathing in a pond. But, everyone has the right to say what is wrong and what is right,” she said.

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