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Indian villagers have ordered a man to marry off his five-year-old daughter as punishment for the “sin” of accidentally killing a cow, officials have said.

The man was reportedly ordered to arrange a marriage for his daughter when summoned before a council of elders in the state of Madhya Pradesh, which deemed his killing of a calf to have cursed the community.

He allegedly threw a stone at the animal in his village to shoo it away, but the calf later died.

The man’s family was originally ordered to go on a pilgrimage and organise a feast for the entire village, but the council was not satisfied.

The council reportedly told him that since the calf’s death, eligible youths in the village had failed to find brides.

The bizarre incident, which happened in January this year, only came to light after the girl’s mother approached the district’s administration last week to complain of the marriage.

Additional District Magistrate Niyaz Ahmed Khan told the Indian Express: “The marriage would have taken place had the girl’s mother not approached us."

The family was reportedly ostracised by the community when the village found out about the incident, forcing the man to visit temples and take a bath in the sacred Ganges river.

The father then arranged a marriage to a minor boy about four months ago.

In Hinduism, the cow is believed to be a sacred animal.