Man asked to marry minor daughter to atone for accidentally killing a calf in MP

The man was riding his two-wheeler when it accidentally hit a calf leading to its death (Representational)

A man who accidentally killed a calf a few months ago was all set to marry his minor daughter to atone for his crime, as ordered by the panchayat, before the local administration and police stopped the marriage in a village under Pathariya Police Station in Vidisha district.

It is a common practice in parts of Madhya Pradesh to impose social sanctions on individuals or families for killing cows accidentally. The sanctions include asking the alleged culprit to take a dip in the Ganges and throw a feast for villagers. Occasionally, the culprit is asked to marry his daughter, irrespective of her age, because the villagers believe kanyadaan in the culprit’s family is the only way to ward off the curse.

In-charge of Pathariya Police Station B D Singh told The Indian Express that the man was riding his two-wheeler when it accidentally hit a calf leading to its death. He took the ritual dip in the Ganges and wanted to throw a feast for his relatives and villagers but they refused to turn up saying he will have to marry his daughter.

A team of Women and Child Development department and the police reached the village on Friday when tipped that the girl was minor. The family resisted the administrative action and refused to admit that the girl was minor. Singh said the team then asked for her Aadhar card and found that she was not even fourteen. He said no case was registered.