Convention assails self-styled panchayats

Bijendra Ahlawat Tribune News Service Rohtak, August 9 Self-styled caste panchayats in Haryana are playing havoc with the lives of young innocent couples and their families who challenge the traditional caste shackles to marry by their choice. The rising number of such incidents, gruesome killings and social boycotts in Haryana is a matter of deep concern, which needs to be immediately addressed. The state government should tighten its grip over such developments and take a strict action against all those who indulge in criminal activities in the name of panchayats. This demand was made at the Citizens Rights Convention held at Jat Bhawan in Sector 1 here today. It was organised by certain social organisations, including the left wing of the All-India Democratic Women Association (AIDWA) and the Janwadi Mahila Samiti. The purpose of the convention was to build an alternative platform that could provide space and discourse for healthy culture and deal with social issues like marriage and dowry in a progressive and democratic manner, said Jagmati Sangwan, one of the organisers. She said the convention was also aimed to build pressure on the government, police and the administration to take swift action against the perpetrators of such heinous crimes and put forward the demand to have a special law to deal with such cases in a time-bound manner. Over 500 men and women form all over Haryana, including intellectuals, educationists, lawyers and members of womens organisations, took part in the convention, she claimed. Chief of the AIDWA, Haryana, Sangwan, while placing a resolution in defense of citizens rights, emphasised upon the need to develop alternative and more democratic modes of relationships and need for a healthy dialogue in favor of young couples in the family, panchayats and educational institutions. She said a powerful campaign was needed to defend the rights of such adults who marry by their own choice against all odds. Jyotsana Chatterji, president of the joint womens programme, and Premila Loomba of the National Federation of Indian Women, highlighted the need for change in the traditions of khap panchayats and warned them not to take law into their own hands.

Leading educationist DR Chaudhary and convener, All-India Lawyers Association, Ragubir Singh Hooda claimed that khap panchayats in the name of brotherhood were in fact caught up in stagnant and retrogressive social and cultural values and people at large should raise protest against such criminal fatwas.