Love in the time of intolerance: Couple in Bihar punished in public for eloping

A video of the couple carrying out their punishment has enraged people on social media.

New Delhi: A married couple was publicly punished in Bihar's Supaul - some 250 kilometers away from the state capital of Patna - for allegedly eloping. While the husband was made to do sit-ups, the wife was made to lick her own spit.

In what is a glaring example of a gross violation of personal dignity, the couple was brought to the centre of the village and were punished in full view of locals - including children. While the husband was first made to do numerous situps to 'repent his act', the wife followed and carried out her punishment in full public viewing as well. The incident - dated March 1 - was captured on video by an unidentified local and has since sparked outrage on social media.

Twitterati has been calling the incident a slap on the face of India's civil society and many have questioned why the local administration did not take preventive measures.

A number of people on the social media site also tagged state Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and asked him to take strict action against those involved in punishing the couple.