Tribal boy ends life after fined Rs 1.7 lakh for falling in love

Ahmedabad, Nov 26: A 21-year-old man in tribal-dominated Central Gujarat’s Chhota Udepur district committed suicide after his family was fined Rs 1.7 lakh in penalty for falling in love with a girl.

Reports said Santosh Bhulabhai Rathwa from Khajuria village fell in love with a girl from the same village and eloped with her when her family objected to their relationship. The girl’s family complained to the Khap Panchayat against him and his family for abducting her.

The panchayat traced the couple’s whereabouts and brought them back to the village. It ordered Rathwa’s family to pay Rs 1.7 lakh for their son’s “criminal act” of falling in love with the girl belonging to the same village.

The panchayat members also ordered to lock Santosh in Gram Panchayat’s office till his family deposited the amount.

Aware that the sum would be too large for his family to pay, Santosh strangulated himself with the internet cable inside the office.

Only after the youngster’s death did police manage to reach the village. Police sub-inspector V M Chauhan said a case has been filed against five people and investigations on the incident have begun. Police are probing if the boy was tortured.