The Inside Story
Khap Panchayats and Their Practices in North India
Discussions are underway to take tough action against the khap panchayats that engage in discussions for their decisions. Legal basis is being prepared to curb khap panchayats that force inter-caste couples in the name of honor to leave the village or face death (honor killing). The court's Justice (Retd.) Urmi A. Goswami has recommended strong action against khap panchayats.
The trend of khap panchayats is more prevalent in North India and has been in existence for a long time. As villages grew, such customs developed. Traditional panchayats come in many forms. Khap panchayats are also traditional panchayats, but they do not have any official recognition.
All the clans or gotras of a particular community come together to form a khap panchayat. This can then include five villages or even 20-25 villages. Maham is a very large khap panchayat. There are also other such panchayats. The gotra that wields more influence in an area has more influence in that khap panchayat. Clans with a small population are also included in the panchayat, but only the influential gotras have an impact on the khap panchayat.
All village residents are called to the meeting, whether they come or not. After that, whatever decision is made, it is considered a unanimous decision and everyone is bound by it.
The first khap panchayats were those of the Jats. Currently, the influence and importance of khap panchayats has decreased, as elected panchayats have now been established according to the Constitution. The leadership of the khap panchayat is with the elders and influential people of the village. Influential people have a significant influence in khap panchayats. Women are not included in these panchayats, nor are they represented. These are only men's panchayats and only they make the decisions. Similarly, Dalits are either not present or cannot express themselves independently. The youth also do not have the right to speak in khap panchayat meetings.
Khap panchayat's decree: Girls will not wear jeans
After the decision of the khap panchayat in Uttar Pradesh's Baghpat district, now a panchayat in Lilon village of Shamli has banned girls from wearing jeans and tops when going out.
On Saturday, people from 36 clans of eight villages around Lilon village participated in this panchayat. It was decided in the panchayat that to protect girls from incidents of harassment, a ban on their attire would be imposed.
The panchayat issued a decree that girls from nearby eight villages cannot go out wearing jeans and tops, nor can they carry their mobile phones with them.
The panchayat also announced a fine of Rs 2100 for anyone who violates this decree.
read moretitle loading...
...title loading
0 Comments
Feel free to post some comment here...