Overview

• Narayanpatna police opened a formal probe on July 14 after a video showed a couple tied to a wooden plough and paraded in Nadimeitiki village
• Rayagada authorities registered an FIR on July 11 following a similar incident in Kalyansinghpur block where a couple was forced to till land as punishment
• Both couples have been placed under protective care while investigations focus on the role of village elders in enforcing exogamy taboos
• Tribal customs prohibit intra-clan marriages over fears of communal misfortune, prompting elders to conduct purification rituals after public humiliations
• Human rights organizations have called for legal action against community elders and stronger enforcement of constitutional safeguards