Key Points
After Riya Goswami married Milan Paswan, a man from a lower caste, her family made an effigy of her, held a mock funeral procession, and performed last rites, declaring her socially dead.
While Riya's family observed mourning rituals, Milan's family welcomed the couple with a traditional Griha Pravesh ceremony.
Now living with her in-laws, Riya said she no longer considers her parents family, criticizing their decision to prioritize caste over her happiness.
A GIRL’S FAMILY BURNED HER EFFIGY and held a funeral procession after she dared to marry a man outside of her caste. When Riya Goswami, 18, married her 23-year-old boyfriend Milan Paswan who belonged to a lower caste, she had no idea and she would be making herself dead in the eyes of her family. In a shocking case emerging from Bihar’s Purnia district, Riya’s family reportedly made an effigy bearing her photograph, took it through the locality in a funeral procession, and performed symbolic last rites after she told a local court that she had married Milan of her choice. The incident was reported from the region’s Chapay village under the Town police station area of Purnia on Tuesday, September 15, 2026.
On September 9, 2026, Riya and Milan got married at a courthouse after being in a relationship for the last three years. The couple lived close to each other in their village, forming a bond over the years which resulted in the two deciding to get married. However, there was one hurdle in their relationship — caste. While Riya belonged to the upper Brahmin community, Milan was of a lower caste origin and belonged to the Dalit community. Soon after their marriage, the couple left to stay at a relative’s house.
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As Riya had left with Milan without informing her family, her father, Manoj Goswami, filed a missing person complaint at the Maranga police station fearing that she had been kidnapped. However, when Police got hold of Riya, she was produced before a local court where she stated she had married Milan voluntarily and wished to go with her now-husband.
Villagers said a village council meeting was convened after Riya and Milan left, during which the boy’s family insisted that the girl should be sent back. However, Riya maintained that she had chosen to go with Milan of her own free will.
Displeased with their daughter’s decision to marry a man of her own choosing, that too from a lower caste, Riya’s family made an effigy of her, placed it on a decorated bier, and took it through the village in a funeral procession before performing the last rites. Her parents also declared before the villagers that their daughter was dead, inviting the entire village for the mourning ritual of Brahmbhoj.
The family said the rituals that follow, including “Nakhabal” (hair and nail trimming), “Dashvi” (tenth-day ritual), and “Terahvi” (thirteenth-day ritual), would be carried out according to traditional customs. They also said that Riya is now "dead" to them and that they will have no relationship with her.
“My daughter has left. For us, she is dead now. Her last rites have been performed. We are Brahmins. In our community, accepting water from that household is forbidden. If someone in our society does something like this, this is the inevitable consequence. If we don't do this, we would have to leave the village. Tell me, how would we live here then?," Riya’s grandfather, Raja Ram Goswami, stated to ETV Bharat.
Following their inter-caste marriage, the couple returned to their village to complete some post wedding-rituals. When Riya reached her husband’s home, Milan’s family and relatives welcomed the newly married couple and conducted the traditional Griha Pravesh (housewarming ceremony for newlyweds) ceremony. In contrast, Riya’s parents were mourning their daughter who was still alive. In the same village, the two homes presented a starkly different scene — one was observing mourning rituals in silence, while the other was celebrating the arrival of a new daughter-in-law.
The couple has spoken to the media and shared their ordeal. When asked whether he was concerned about society’s reaction, Milan said, “Society won’t run my household or earn a living to feed me. So, I don’t care what people think.”
Riya expressed her anger over her family’s decision to perform her last rites while she was still alive, and claimed that they still hold an archaic caste-based mindset which she does not believe in. According to Riya, her and Milan’s family had shared a close relationship for years, and the two families regularly visited each other and exchanged food.
However, Riya said that when it came to choosing a life partner, her family placed caste above everything else, despite the love and affection between her and Milan. After her marriage, Riya said she remains upset with her parents. “If parents simply asked their children if they liked someone, why would we take such a step? That is why I no longer have any relationship with my parents; my in-laws are my family now, I have no one else in the world,” she said.
(Edited by Harsh Pandey)
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