In MP, ‘panch patis’ of 15 elected women take oath

In a bizarre reflection of bigotry in Madhya Pradesh’s hinterland, at least 15 women who were elected as panchs and sarpanchs in Dhar and Damoh districts sat in the audience or stayed home as their husbands – dubbed ‘Panch Patis’ – took oath on the Constitution, right under the noses of government officials.