Woman, ostracised for affair with lower-caste man, ends life

A 25-year-old married woman, who and her family had been ostracised by the caste 'panchayat' for her alleged illicit relationship with a lower caste man, today committed suicide, police said.
The woman, Sakhi Pal, early this morning hanged herself from the ceiling of her house at Karibazarua, 12 km from Tikamgarh district headquarters.
Apparently, she could not withstand the treatment meted out to her and her family by her community, Sub-inspector B S Rathore said.
Head of the caste panchayat, Dhani Ram, last month ostracised the woman and her family because she was allegedly in an illicit relationship with a man from a lower caste, he said.

After the woman yesterday pleaded that her character was spotless, the panchayat agreed to lift its fiat with the condition that the family must host two meals for the entire village and hold 'Katga', a religious discourse.
The family agreed, but the woman, apparently dejected, took her life. "Further investigation is on," Rathore said, adding no arrests have been made so far.