Every few months, someone confidently logs onto the internet to say, “Caste discrimination is over.” That it’s all politics. That young India has “moved on.”
Ruko zara, sabr karo.
Then a story like this lands on your timeline and reminds you that for many people, caste isn’t some dusty chapter in a history book. It’s still deciding who they can love, who they can marry, and in some cases, whether they’re considered family at all.
An 18-year-old woman from Madhya Pradesh married the person she chose. Her family responded by performing her last rites while she is still alive.
Not because she died, not because she went missing and certainly not because she committed a crime. But because she married outside her caste.
Yes, this happened in freaking 2026.
According to the family, the ceremony wasn’t just about cutting ties with their daughter. It was also meant to serve as “a lesson” for other girls considering inter-caste marriages.
Here’s everything we know.
What Exactly Happened?
In an incident that left social media shocked, a family in Khachrod town of Madhya Pradesh’s Ujjain district performed the symbolic last rites of their living daughter after she married outside her caste against their wishes.
Sorry what?
The woman has been identified as 18-year-old Komal Prajapat, with some local reports describing her as a makeup artist. According to her family, she married a man from another caste despite repeated objections from them.
The disagreement reportedly escalated to the Khachrod police station, where the family alleges Komal refused to return home and did not acknowledge her parents and siblings. But what happened next is what has made headlines across the country.
And not in a good way. In fact, in one of the worst ways possible.
A Wedding Followed By A Funeral
Instead of accepting the marriage, the family organised a ritual known locally as “Gorni.” Relatives and members of the community were invited to their home. Komal’s photograph was placed in the courtyard and trad death rituals were performed in front of it. Her photograph was then symbolically cremated. In front of relatives, the family publicly declared that Komal was “dead” to them despite her being alive.
We don’t have any words.
“She Is No Longer Our Daughter”
The symbolic funeral wasn’t the end of it, though.
According to local reports, Komal’s brother publicly announced:
“From today, she is neither our sister nor our daughter. We have declared her dead. She has no place in our family or our property.”
The family also stated they had permanently severed all personal and social bonds with her. It’s important to note that while families can choose to distance themselves from an adult child, such public declarations do not automatically determine a person’s legal rights.
The Ceremony Was Meant To Be ‘A Lesson’
But wait, this wasn’t just because the family was hurt. It was a lesson, not so much in disguise.
A relative, Bharat Prajapat, reportedly said the programme was organised so that other girls would think twice before marrying against their parents’ wishes.
He was quoted as saying:
“This programme has been organised so that other girls think about what can happen if they go against their families. It should create awareness in society, and such programmes should be organised in every community.”
Wait, Did She Marry A Dalit Man?
If you’ve seen this story on Instagram or X, chances are you’ve read that Komal married a Dalit man.
Many posts have described the groom as Dalit. However, the local reports that first covered the incident consistently describe him as belonging to another or a lower caste, without independently confirming his exact caste identity.
But deep down, we all know, that’s not the point, the point is the hierarchical ladder many Indians still can’t climb on and many refuse to leave their place and make room.
What exactly is ‘Gorni’?
One word that keeps appearing in reports is “Gorni.” Despite what some social media posts suggest, Gorni isn’t a Hindu funeral ritual prescribed by mainstream religious texts.
It is described in local reporting as a community custom followed by some groups in parts of Madhya Pradesh to symbolically excommunicate a family member who is believed to have dishonoured the family, often through marriages against family wishes.
The ritual is social in nature and has no legal recognition under Indian law.
Has The Police Taken Any Action?
As of now, there have been no reports of an FIR or police action specifically related to the symbolic funeral.
Similarly, there have been no verified public statements from Komal herself after the incident. Most of what is publicly known comes from local media reports, videos from the ceremony and statements made by the family.
Sadly, This Isn’t The First Time
As unbelievable as this sounds, it isn’t a one-off case. HMPH.
Over the years, India has witnessed multiple instances where families have held symbolic funerals, performed pind daan or publicly declared children “dead” after inter-caste or inter-faith marriages.
While these cases don’t always involve physical violence, they are often seen as forms of honour-based social boycott, where families attempt to erase or ostracise relatives for exercising their right to choose a partner.
The Supreme Court has repeatedly upheld that two consenting adults have the constitutional right to marry a person of their choice, irrespective of caste or community.
But stories like this show that legal rights and social acceptance don’t always walk hand in hand.