Medieval horror in 21st Century
B.S.RAGHAVAN / Jul 12, 2010

Khap panchayats have been hogging the headlines these past few weeks and from all that is coming to light about them, they seem to be a frightful combination of the Spanish Inquisition, thuggee cultists, Sicilian mafias and Ku Klux Klan, delighted in committing with impunity and in the most brutal and calculated manner cold-blooded murders of those who disobey their diktats which are ostensibly meant to maintain the sanctity and purity of their castes and communities.

In line with their medieval mindset, they have been regularly targeting young persons in love who want to marry but who, being from the same gotra or even from the same village or community, are deemed to be brothers and sisters.

It is evident from the unyielding and arrogant manner in which they have been asserting their right to resort to the so-called `honour killings' of those who flout their authority that they care a tuppence for the disgust, shock and horror they have roused all over the country and even abroad.

KHAP PANCHAYATS
Here is a thumbnail sketch of khap panchayats: Khaps are clusters of villages united by caste and geography. They have been part of the social landscape of Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh and parts of Rajasthan from as early as 14th century.

It is through them that upper castes assert their power and position. The main rule is that all boys and girls within a khap should be regarded as siblings. Khap panchayat holds sway over the khap formed by same gotra families from several neighbouring villages. Love marriages are totally taboo in areas governed by khap panchayats.

Apparently, the entire populations of villages in the States infested by them are so inescapably in their clutches that they have acquired the additional character of solid vote-banks which no political party dares to take on.

That explains the lukewarm reception on the part of political leaders to the idea of stamping them out as also the consternation the Home Minister, Mr . hidambaram, caused to his colleagues from the Northern States with his bid to crush khaps through amendments to the Indian Penal Code and the Indian Evidence Act before the Cabinet on July 8.

TIME-BUYING TECHNIQUE
The amendments sought to bring `honour killings' under the definition of murder and put the onus on khap panchayats to prove their innocence during trial. More importantly, they provided that the khap panchayat or any group ordering `honour killings' and any person who carries out the order of the khap to kill will be jointly liable for punishment.

The Cabinet Ministers from the northern States did not want to openly oppose the move, nor did they dare to antagonise the khaps which might extract a heavy price at the hustings. So, they indulged in the time-honoured time-buying technique of kicking the proposal around like football (this is the soccer season as well!) and eventually asking the Home Minister to consult the State Governments and place their views before the Group of Ministers to be constituted by the Prime Minister.

The reported reasoning was that the issue was a sensitive and emotional one for north Indian states and it was necessary to take account of the sentiments of the rural populace of Haryana and Punjab before taking any decision.

The prevaricating attitude to the khap panchayats and the political groundswell in favour of mention of castes in the Census enumeration are deeply disturbing signs. Not only is a casteless society nowhere in sight, there is an aggressive assertion of, and morbid obsession with, caste identities.

Vested interests in caste-based politics are ruling the roost everywhere, and knowingly taking India to the brink of disaster. Alas, for India!