Family tonsured on panchayat's diktat, expelled from village

Their only crime was that they dared to lodge a complaint against influential people of their village, accusing them of killing a member of their family.

The accused were so enraged that they got the panchayat to not only expel the entire family from the village but also got them tonsured and forced them to hold a community feast as punishment for lodging the complaint.

The incident occurred at Bhadaura village in Uttar Pradesh's Lalitpur district, about 400 km from here, on Wednesday.

A source said the body of a youth from the village was found hanging from a tree near the village a few months ago.

The family of the deceased alleged that he had been murdered and lodged a complaint, naming three influential people from the same village.

Irked over the complaint, the accused convened a panchayat of village elders and got it to hold the mother of the youth guilty.

The panchayat also ordered the family to hold a community feast as punishment, tonsured them and also expelled them from the village.

The terrorised family has approached senior police officials seeking justice, the source said. The police said they are investigating the matter.

"We will take strict action against those who took part in the panchayat," said a senior police officer.

Panchayats in Uttar Pradesh are known for pronouncing bizarre orders.

In the past, they have punished people by expelling them from their villages or ordering a social boycott.