'Social boycott': Family faces expulsion for son marrying local girl
A family in Rogla village, Sangrur (Punjab) is facing a social boycott after their son married a woman from the same village—something the local panchayat says breaks their November last year rule meant to "protect the village's prestige."
The panchayat has told the family to leave immediately or be cut off from community life.
Police call boycott illegal
Police have stepped in, calling the boycott order illegal, while other officials and legal experts have reminded people that no law bans such marriages.
Officials say they're working to calm things down, and Punjab's minister has promised legal action against forced expulsions.
Similar bans on intra-village marriages have popped up in other villages too, but authorities are pushing back against these old-school rules.