DISHONOUR THE KHAP

DISHONOUR THE KHAP

IN MODERN TIMES, THE KILLING OF PEOPLE BY THE KHAP PANCHAYATS ON THE GROUNDS OF SAME GOTRAS AND INTERCASTE MARRIAGES SHOULD BE SEEN AS A SERIOUS ANTI SOCIAL CRIME WHICH DESERVES SEVERE INTELLECTUAL CONDEMNATION AND PUNITIVE LEGAL ACTION.

Indian news papers and media, these days, are flooded with reports of honour killings carried out by the Khap panchayats. Khap panchayats, which are largely Jat bodies, have increasingly taken themselves as the custodians and guardians of the community and are enforcing medieval practices through coercion and violence.

They have been numerous cases recently in various parts of Northern India particularly Haryana and surrounding regions where couples who married against the community norms like outside their caste or within the same gotra have been intimidated, harassed and even killed for their bold and “unsocial actions”.

These events speak very poorly about the civilisational status of Indian society. It proves beyond doubt that large sections of the society are still deeply rooted in a thinking which isn’t merely regressive but also disregard the dignity of human being and sanctity of individual freedom. The arguments given by the proponents of Khap mentality, that religion clearly and strongly condemns marriages between different castes as illegal, immoral and potentially degenerative for the society, that since gotras are like large extended families, the people who are common descendents of the same Guru (The Great Teacher) thus marring in the same gotra tantamounts to incest, a big social and moral sin prohibited and punishable even under the Indian legal system. But these are absurd arguments. It is proved scientifically and goes by common sense as well that inter caste marriages if anything will only increase the chances of improving the heredity stock and thus ensure a brighter future for the coming generations. Similarly the argument that the gotras are like large extended families is equally absurd and illogical. We have a limited number of gotras and crores and crores of populations, so that each gotra of each caste includes at least lakhs of people. It is not possible that such a large number of people belong to one extended family.

Basically, these honour killings are about the anger at the prospects of polluting the supposed sanctity and purity of one’s caste and the social norms and traditions associated with it. It is indeed very sorry state of affairs. No doubt today, India is socially fragmented into different mental time zones, we have ultra modern, modern, moderate, conservative, orthodox and extremely narrow minded all existing side by side. This again is due to the lopsided development which has taken place in the thinking of different people. But to kill a couple brutally because they have married according to their choice, which incidentally goes against the social mores is brutality at its lightest. What is more disappointing that the custodians of the community do it in the name of saving their honour, which shamefully is supported by most of the community members sometimes even by the close relatives.

PURGE THE KHAP MENTALITY, KNOCK OUT REGRESSIVE MEDIEVALISM

The government must take strong legal actions against the perpetrators of these heinous crimes. These could include giving severe punishments ranging capital punishment to life imprisonment to the people who are directly involved in these crimes and those who are indirectly involved even they should be punished. Certain special legal provisions can be made to deal effectively and in a tough manner with these murders carried out by the khap panchayats. To eliminate any caste conspiracy which may be made to enter the minds of the people, the situation should be handled tactfully and with care. It should be a double pronged strategy, where by there should be exemplary fear against performing such crimes. This can be brought about by tough and fast execution of the culprits. Apart from that, massive social awakening is required through various channels.

People should be educated and made aware of the irrelevance of caste and gotra in modern day marriages. We can say, in a nut shell, that khap panchayats are but instruments which are perpetuating the regressive remains of medievalism. These structures can only be demolished completely when the government and the civil society take to address the issue on a war footing.

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