Kawardha, March 4: The husbands of six newly elected women panchayat representatives (panches) allegedly took the oath in place of their wives in a village in Chhattisgarh's Kabirdham district, prompting the authorities to order a probe. The alleged incident occurred on Monday in the Paraswara village panchayat in the Pandariya development block. A video of the swearing-in of the panchayat representatives in Parswara village surfaced on social media on Tuesday, following which the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Pandariya janpad panchayat was asked to probe the matter, said Ajay Tripathi, CEO of Kabirdham Zilla Panchayat. He said action will be taken based on the probe report.

The official said representatives elected in the recently held three-tier panchayat polls were sworn in during their first meeting in their respective areas on Monday. According to officials, of the 11 ward panches elected in the Parasrwara village panchayat, six were women, while the sarpanch was a man. Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai-Led Govt Orders Transfer of Bureaucrats, 63 Officials Get New Assignments in Major Reshuffle Ahead of Municipal and Panchayat Elections.

The husbands of these six women panches and the other elected representatives were sworn in by the panchayat secretary. In the video, all male members can be seen taking oaths. Locals and social activists termed the incident a mockery of women's empowerment and demanded stern action against the guilty. Chhattisgarh Budget 2025 Highlights: 53% DA for Government Employees, Additional Funds for ‘Mahtari Vandan Yojana’ Among Key Measures Announced by Finance Minister OP Choudhary.

If no concrete action is taken, it will set a wrong example and may lead to further such incidents, they said. Notably, BJP MLA Bhawna Bohra represents the Pandariya assembly constituency.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)