Abandoned wife ordered to live with male neighbour in India

Published April 22, 2015
It was unclear whether the woman was asked to live with him as his spouse or as his employee in the house. — AFP/file
It was unclear whether the woman was asked to live with him as his spouse or as his employee in the house. — AFP/file

NEW DELHI: A village council in northern India allegedly ordered a woman, whose husband ran off with their neighbour's wife, to live with the abandoned man or pay him compensation, police said Tuesday.

Police are investigating a complaint that Rajendra Meghwal asked the council in the desert state of Rajasthan for help after his wife and their two children disappeared with Kalulal Meghwal.

Kalulal's wife Mamta has told police that the council or “khap panchayat” ordered her to pay Rajendra 300,000 rupees ($4,775) in compensation for her husband's actions or move in with Rajendra.

Read: Indian woman gang-raped on kangaroo court orders

“The woman was not present in the khap meeting but she complained to us that she has been asked to pay money or live with Rajendra,” local police officer Sanjay Kumar told AFP.

It was unclear whether the woman was asked to live with him as his spouse or as his employee in the house.

Kumar said officers have started questioning council members in Bundi district after Mamta filed a harassment complaint with police.

Panchayats often comprise an unelected group of elders, who are seen as the social and moral arbiters of village life.

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