A free-for-all scenario emerges in India with socio-religious bodies instructing individuals on how to live their lives, where to work, whom to marry, etc. Vikas Kumar, T. Satisan and Khurram Raza talk to those who issue these decrees and find them utterly unapologetic
In the Indian democratic framework, freedom of expression is slowly becoming the prerogative of organised, and often self-appointed, groups and organisations to issue draconian decrees which invariably infringe upon the principles of civil liberty and individual rights. And what is interesting and dangerous is that all of these groups have a quasi-socio-religious sanction. So if a Hindu Khap Panchayat decides the marital life of a young Haryanvi, the Darul Uloom Deoband puts paid to an educated Muslim woman’s dream of making it big in the corporate world. The Church in Kerala, on election eve, even instructs people whom to vote for. Its stand on drinking and sale of alcohol is also draconian. Recent incidents suggest that in spite of India sending out a lunar mission and becoming an IT powerhouse, these retrograde faces continue to challenge the principles of rights and liberty enshrined in the Constitution. The role of Khaps has become synonymous with ‘Honour Killing’ in the name of protecting caste and gotra (ancestral linkage) traditions. Khaps, representative bodies of a cluster of villages unified by the same caste, gotra or geography, have some roles in settling community disputes but, of late, they are in news for all the wrong reasons. They are constantly dishing out Taliban-like verdicts. The irony is that the entire establishment seems to be petrified when it comes to tackling these errant Khap leaders. Manoj and Babli dared to challenge the Khap’s decision. Both were brutally murdered. However, a trial court in Karnal district of Haryana dared to take the murderers on, sentencing the killers to death.
However, instead of learning from the judgment, Khap leaders openly opposed the verdict and even demanded amendment in the Hindu Marriage Act, seeking ban on same gotra marriage. Baljit Singh, a self-styled Khap leader, rubbishes all charges levelled against Khaps. He says, “It is unfortunate that words like ‘Tughlaqi Farman’ are being used for Khap verdicts.” Media persons in a presser in Delhi were stunned when he said, “We urged our members to help the victims of court judgment in the Manoj-Babli case on humanitarian grounds.”
The political establishment in Haryana has turned a blind eye, fearing loss of votes. Khaps exercise immense political clout and this can be gauged from the fact that INLD’s Om Prakash Chautala and the Congress’ Navin Jindal support them. Sompal Shastri, former Union agriculture minister, is evasive. He tells TSI, “To my knowledge none of the Khaps ordered honour killings. However, they can be criticised for not condemning these deaths.”
Prem Chaudhari, researcher on Khaps, says, “Khaps are medieval establishments and their primary task was to provide security. Earlier, villages were small and people knew each other well. In the last two to three decades, small villages have become bigger and numbers of gotra in these villages have increased from 4 or 5 to 20 or 25. People are getting educated and they often come out of their village in the pursuit of education or for jobs. This means increased interaction between boys and girls who often fall in love without knowing their caste or gotra. It is difficult for them to follow old customs and traditions as situations have completely changed.”
In the Indian democratic framework, freedom of expression is slowly becoming the prerogative of organised, and often self-appointed, groups and organisations to issue draconian decrees which invariably infringe upon the principles of civil liberty and individual rights. And what is interesting and dangerous is that all of these groups have a quasi-socio-religious sanction. So if a Hindu Khap Panchayat decides the marital life of a young Haryanvi, the Darul Uloom Deoband puts paid to an educated Muslim woman’s dream of making it big in the corporate world. The Church in Kerala, on election eve, even instructs people whom to vote for. Its stand on drinking and sale of alcohol is also draconian. Recent incidents suggest that in spite of India sending out a lunar mission and becoming an IT powerhouse, these retrograde faces continue to challenge the principles of rights and liberty enshrined in the Constitution. The role of Khaps has become synonymous with ‘Honour Killing’ in the name of protecting caste and gotra (ancestral linkage) traditions. Khaps, representative bodies of a cluster of villages unified by the same caste, gotra or geography, have some roles in settling community disputes but, of late, they are in news for all the wrong reasons. They are constantly dishing out Taliban-like verdicts. The irony is that the entire establishment seems to be petrified when it comes to tackling these errant Khap leaders. Manoj and Babli dared to challenge the Khap’s decision. Both were brutally murdered. However, a trial court in Karnal district of Haryana dared to take the murderers on, sentencing the killers to death.
However, instead of learning from the judgment, Khap leaders openly opposed the verdict and even demanded amendment in the Hindu Marriage Act, seeking ban on same gotra marriage. Baljit Singh, a self-styled Khap leader, rubbishes all charges levelled against Khaps. He says, “It is unfortunate that words like ‘Tughlaqi Farman’ are being used for Khap verdicts.” Media persons in a presser in Delhi were stunned when he said, “We urged our members to help the victims of court judgment in the Manoj-Babli case on humanitarian grounds.”
The political establishment in Haryana has turned a blind eye, fearing loss of votes. Khaps exercise immense political clout and this can be gauged from the fact that INLD’s Om Prakash Chautala and the Congress’ Navin Jindal support them. Sompal Shastri, former Union agriculture minister, is evasive. He tells TSI, “To my knowledge none of the Khaps ordered honour killings. However, they can be criticised for not condemning these deaths.”
Prem Chaudhari, researcher on Khaps, says, “Khaps are medieval establishments and their primary task was to provide security. Earlier, villages were small and people knew each other well. In the last two to three decades, small villages have become bigger and numbers of gotra in these villages have increased from 4 or 5 to 20 or 25. People are getting educated and they often come out of their village in the pursuit of education or for jobs. This means increased interaction between boys and girls who often fall in love without knowing their caste or gotra. It is difficult for them to follow old customs and traditions as situations have completely changed.”
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