Khaps want law to ban same gotra unions
A meeting of at least 30 khaps (caste councils) here on Monday decided that marriages within the same gotra and same villages could not be allowed as they violated the centuries-old tradition. The khaps also demanded amendment in the Hindu Marriage Act banning such marriages. In case, the government does not do the needful, a meeting of shorabh (“supreme court” of khaps) would be held at Muzzaffar Nagar in Uttar Pradesh to decide on a “do or die” plan of action.
Talking to this newspaper, Chaudhary Ram Karan Solanki of Palam 360 khap (a body supervising over khaps from 360 villages in and around Delhi), who was among the main organisers of the meeting, said: “Once the necessary amendments were carried out, the courts will stop giving protection to the couple seeking marriage within the same gotra or same village. Once that happens, the young people would be aware and would not try and marry against the tradition.”
Mr Solanki, however, added that the fact was that no khap has ever issued orders for killing any boy or girl for marrying against the tradition. “We held this meeting to dispel this myth that khaps were giving orders for killing a couple,” said Mr Solanki.
However, other speakers at the khap pointed out that young boys and girls marrying in the same gotra were, on an average, one in a million cases. And when media highlights such cases, the family members of these boys and girls are left with “do or die” situation. “They are not able to stand the bad name that comes to their family,” said one of the speakers, adding that under the influence of modern lifestyle and television, the youngsters do get emotionally swayed.
Mr Solanki further pointed out that state is conceived out of society and it is not the other way round.
“But the state is neglecting the traditions and customs of the society, whereas it should have been supporting it,” said Mr Solanki.
The meeting also criticised Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hudda for supporting same gotra marriages saying that he was toeing the line of a few in the high command.
Post new comment