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India Today
7 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
Punjab village bans love marriages without family consent, sparks row
A village in Punjab's Mohali district has ignited controversy after its gram panchayat passed a resolution banning love marriages without family or community decision by the gram panchayat of Manakpur Sharif, located just 10 kilometers from Chandigarh, has drawn sharp criticism from political leaders and rights resolution, passed unanimously on July 31, prohibits couples who marry without the approval of their families from residing in the village or nearby areas. It also warns of punitive action against any villagers who support or shelter such 'This is not a punishment but a preventive step to protect our traditions and values,' said Dalvir Singh, the village explained that the resolution followed a recent incident in which a 26-year-old man, Davinder, married his 24-year-old niece, Baby. The couple has since left the village, but the incident has an impact for 2,000 villagers that are living here.'We are not against love marriage or law, but we are not allowing it here in our Panchayat,' Singh added. According to the resolution, the entire community shares the responsibility of preventing such unions. The panchayat has also urged neighboring villages to adopt similar move has sparked a backlash. Dharamvira Gandhi, Congress MP from Patiala, condemned the resolution, calling it a 'Talibani diktat.''Freedom to choose one's life partner is a fundamental right of every adult. The state must intervene and protect such couples from obscurantist attitudes,' he the resolution drew outrage from some quarters, local youth and villagers, speaking to India Today on the condition of anonymity, voiced support for the sarpanch.'We are with our Sarpanch on this decision and he is only authorised to speak over it. But we feel we have a legacy and reputation that should be carried. World is modern but we need to save our relations, our culture and our villages,' said one authorities have so far taken a measured stance over the incident. Sonam Chaudhary, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Rural), Mohali, said no formal complaint has yet been filed.'If the individuals are adults, they are legally free to marry whom they choose. Any future complaints will be addressed in accordance with the law,' she Aggarwal, Superintendent of Police (Mohali), emphasised the rule of law. 'This is not a banana republic. We will uphold the law and constitutional rights. As of now, no official complaint has been received. If it comes, we will act as per the law. No one has the right to take things into their own hands,' he told India the resolution was passed, the couple at the center of the controversy released a video on social media confirming that they married of their own free will. They also criticised local residents for tarnishing their reputation. Raj Lalli Gill, Chairperson of the Punjab State Women Commission, called the resolution unconstitutional. 'It's unconstitutional and decision by such Panchayat has no meaning. We will look into this. We haven't received any complaint against it,' she said.- Ends IN THIS STORY#Punjab
The Independent
11-07-2025
- The Independent
I'm a Post Office scandal victim – the only reason I didn't kill myself in prison was my unborn child
There was no way out. I had been locked up in a prison with blood on the walls and people self-harming all around me. I had been parted from my husband and my 10-year-old son – as well as the rest of my family – because the Post Office had successfully prosecuted me for stealing just under £75,000 in my role as a Surrey subpostmistress. My sentence, at Bronzefield Prison in Surrey, was for 15 months. The accusations from the Post Office – and my conviction, in 2010 – had brought shame on my family and led to my husband being subjected to racially aggravated physical attacks several times. I thought to myself, 'What do I have to live for?' But there was one reason in particular – the eight-week-old child growing inside me. When I was sentenced, I was two months pregnant. That child was my reason to live. While I was incarcerated, I did everything I could to protect my growing baby – constantly worried that some harm would come to it from the unpredictable behaviour of my fellow inmates and the makeshift weapons they would carry. Fortunately, my imprisonment would last just four-and-a-half months in total, which, nevertheless, still felt a huge length of time. For the rest of my sentence I had to wear an electronic tag. And that is how I gave birth to the child I had been carrying – in a hospital wearing an electronic tag. It is maybe not surprising that, because of the ordeal I had been through, my labour took three days. My son is now 14 years old. My husband Davinder got me through my imprisonment while, on the outside, our eldest son, now 24, was there for him in turn. So, I completely understand why some people may have taken their own lives after being accused by the Post Office of stealing money. Throughout the process, the Post Office would not listen to any of us when we said that there was something wrong with their Horizon accounting software. They pursued their prosecutions so vigorously; so definite were they that there was nothing wrong with their systems – that even my legal team advised me to plead guilty to everything. But I refused, as I knew I had done nothing wrong. Of course, we now know that the Horizon software was hopelessly flawed, which has led to more than 900 subpostmasters and subpostmistresses being convicted of theft, fraud and false accounting. But the toll of those convictions affected not just those individuals, but their families, too. After I was released, for a long time I would not go to the school gates with the other parents, or to cricket matches my eldest son was playing in. The actions of the Post Office denied my sons from having a normal childhood. For many years, Davinder and I didn't tell our youngest child what had happened to me before he was born. But he still came home from school one day saying that another pupil had asked him, 'Why did your mum take all that money?' Before that, when the Post Office was demanding money back that I hadn't taken, I was desperately borrowing money from family members and selling my possessions. And then, after my time in prison, the lasting effects of the tag meant that I was always afraid to go out. The Post Office prosecutions have had incalculable repercussions on so many lives, leading to much widespread trauma. This week's report on the scandal said that the Horizon inquiry had heard evidence from 59 subpostmasters and subpostmistresses who had contemplated suicide because of the pressures they were put under. After my time in prison we moved away from West Byfleet, in Surrey, where we had the shop and post office. After having had my conviction overturned, I – now 50 – have been campaigning for the Horizon victims to be given proper settlements, but also for there to be some accountability. No one from the Post Office has been held accountable for the devastation that has been wreaked on so many lives. The law is meant to protect the good from wrongdoing, while punishing the bad. But in this case, bad people have been protected, while the good have been punished. This needs to change. There will only be justice for those who took their own lives – and for those who, like me, contemplated it – when there are prosecutions. Like me, they can go to prison. But for a long time.
Hindustan Times
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Family of Indian student seeks Centre's help to bring her body back from Canada
Chandigarh, The shocked family of a 21-year-old Indian student, who was found dead in Canada's Ottawa, on Tuesday urged the Centre for assistance in bringing back her body to Punjab. Vanshika Saini was found dead three days after she went missing. She is the daughter of Aam Aadmi Party leader Davinder Saini in Punjab's Mohali district. Vanshika had gone to Canada two years ago to pursue higher studies after completing her senior secondary in Dera Bassi. Her father said she had always been a topper in her school and wanted to do something big in her life. Davinder said he did not know what happened to her, adding that the family was told that the cause of death could be known only after a postmortem examination. "It is a great loss for the family and a tough time for us," said Davinder, who is the A's block president and is associated with A MLA from Dera Bassi Kuljit Singh Randhawa. "I want that my daughter's body be brought back here," he said. Vanshika's death was confirmed by the Indian High Commission in Ottawa in an X post on Monday. "We are deeply saddened to be informed of the death of Ms. Vanshika, student from India in Ottawa," it said, adding that authorities concerned have taken up the case, which is now under investigation. Vanshika went missing last Friday after leaving her residence at 7 Majestic Drive in Ottawa at around 8-9 pm to view a rental room, according to a social media post by an Indo-Canadian association linked by the High Commission. According to the post, her phone was switched off at approximately 11.40 pm that night and she missed an important exam the next day, which it said was "completely out of character" for the student. A MLA Randhawa also expressed grief over the death. He said that efforts were being made to bring back the body here. Randhawa said A MP Raj Kumar Chabbewal and Rajya Sabha MP Balbir Singh Seechewal had been approached for their help in bringing back the body here. He said that the MPs have contacted the Indian embassy.
