Bhubaneswar, Aug 11: In a shocking incident highlighting the persistence of regressive practices, a young couple in Koraput district was subjected to public humiliation for marrying within the same clan. The disturbing episode occurred in Peda Itigi village under Borigi panchayat of Narayanpatna block, sparking widespread condemnation.

Reports reveal that the couple— a man from Chidi Balasa village in Alomanda gram panchayat and a woman from Pedalada village—married despite belonging to the same clan, a union frowned upon in their tribal community. In the name of a “purification ritual,” villagers yoked the couple together like bullocks and forced them to plough the ground in the village square.

The act, justified by locals as a way to seek forgiveness from ‘Mother Earth’ for violating tradition, has been widely denounced by social activists as a blatant violation of human rights.

A video of the ordeal, showing the couple struggling under the heavy wooden yoke while surrounded by a watching crowd, has gone viral. Shockingly, this is not an isolated case—last month, a similar punishment was reported in Kalyansinghpur block of Rayagada district, raising serious concerns over such inhumane practices.

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