Woman should be covered from head to toe, says Khap leader

CHANDER SUTA DOGRA
JHAJJAR (HARYANA), October 19, 2013

Khap panchayats (caste councils) in the State have hit out at girls “for being the agents who pollute society and bring a bad name to the community”.

Within days of a young couple in Rohtak being hacked to death in public last month for marrying in defiance of kinship taboos held by the Jat community, two prominent panchayats of this belt have imposed a dress code for women and, in some villages, appointed men to watch and report on the activities of college girls who violate the code.

The panchayats argue that such restrictions will curb the rising rate of honour killings in the region — not some remote rural pocket, but comprising districts that now form part of the National Capital Region. Each gruesome killing of a young couple, which is quite common in this region, has spurred khap panchayats to issue increasingly unreasonable diktats in the name of upholding societal morals. Wearing a pair of jeans, going for a drive with a male friend or even talking on a mobile phone — behaviour which is considered perfectly normal for any young girl just a few miles away from khap-dominated areas — can attract brutal punishment here. “We believe that a woman should be covered from head to toe in loose fitting clothes that do not attract the male eye. Our idea of beauty is a woman whose hands alone are visible. Even her eyes should preferably be under a veil,” says Rajinder Singh, vice president of Barah Birohar Khap, as he puffs a hookah.

The new dress code for any girl above 10 years of age in these villages is a salwar-kameez. Even a churidar-kurta — they look with disdain at my modest green churidar and cotton dupatta — is offensive as it outlines the legs, they say (forgetting, for some reason, that black churidars with shirts were common attire among elderly women in rural Haryana till a few years ago).

Last month, two separate panchayats held at Rohtak and Birohar, two days after the Rohtak honour killing, ruled that the “unconventional” behaviour of girls and young women was causing shame to the society and said drastic steps were needed to “keep them in check”.

Speaking to The Hindu , Om Prakash Dhankar, a member of the Sarv Khap Haryana (a conglomeration of several khap panchayats), said, “It was brought to our notice that girls in at least three locations near the town pay Rs. 200 to Rs. 500 to shopkeepers to indulge in immoral activities.”

These, according to him, were college girls changing over to western dresses in shops after leaving their homes in salwar kameez and going for outings after picking up mobiles in the shops.

While the Sarv Khap has appointed squads of “mature men” to spy on such deviations and submit their report at the next meeting, the 12 Birohar visited some high schools to “advise girls not to break the rules in their own interest”. The khaps are also pressing schools and colleges to have separate buses for boys and girls.

Says Mr. Dhankar, “This might seem drastic but we believe that this is the only way to stop honour killings in this region. Intermingling of girls and boys and influence of television has led to this situation. Even if the government will not do anything, we still have a duty to uphold the morals of our society.”

The diktats of these khaps, rooted in the medieval past, have for long been described as “Talibanic” by activists. The urban intelligentsia often dismiss them as extra-constitutional bodies, but in the hinterland, few dare to oppose the councils publicly as they enjoy social sanction and political patronage.

Kamla (name changed), a lecturer at the DAV college in Jhajjar, has reconciled herself to donning a veil over her face as she drives through a half-kilometre stretch along the village outskirts on her way to work. “I know it is retrograde, but I still do it to avoid a confrontation. It is a small price to pay for peace in the village.”

But not all are so accommodative of the khaps’ rules. In Jhamri, 17-year-old college student Savita says, “Girls from the town wear jeans and western outfits in college, but who will get them for me? We also want to wear something other than this salwar kameez, but our elders won’t hear of it.”

Barah Birohar is proud of the fact that they have managed to restrict the use of loud DJs and “vulgar” dancing during weddings. Nonetheless, young people have — ban or not — begun installing floor DJs and arranging dances in the courtyards of their homes

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/woman-should-be-covered-from-head-to-toe-says-khap-leader/article5249821.ece

When family kills its own for ‘honour’

Rajbir Deswal

It is vital to analyse customs, compulsions and mindsets to arrest one of the most barbaric trends of killing for perceived 'honour'. In the so-called modern era that swears by civility, such killings are a blot on humanity.

Women in the rural areas continue to live a life of social constraints, and dare not challenge the diktats of men. Tribune file photos

IN a country of Sufis and saints who said, “Ishq na poochhey deen-dharam noo, ishq na poochey zataan” (Love doesn't care for religions or castes), why do we still call ourselves progressive if we can't tolerate such sublime bondages. Every time we hear about killing for 'honour', we pray it should be the last. But close on the heels of Rohtak came Panipat. Before that it was 'Manoj-Babli', and many others who went unreported. All gruesome murders in cold blood. Hounding and lynching lovebirds either in the name of honour, or for alliances within the 'strictly prohibited' degree of marriage perceived as such not by law, but probably by custom, tradition, taboo, and mores, aberration or even criminality. In the present day gory scenario, there is need to not only analyse, shun and put a stop to the practice of killing for honour, but also to suggest ways to arrest the most barbaric trends, in the so-called modern era that speaks of civility being practised and sworn by.

'Honour' killing is generally resorted to as a reprehensible reprimand and admonition, for the perceived law-breakers in a community, or a social group, by members of the selfsame social entity. Largely these killings pertain to men and women who are found to indulge in promiscuous, or meditated, sexual or near-sexual relationship, whether by way of elopement, marriage or fun, etc.

The Manoj-Babli (left) case was neither the first, and sadly, nor the last in Haryana. Khap panchayats can’t be the upholders of morals.

Despite sound socio-economic standing, communities in certain northern states have the practice of killing for 'honour' which continues unabated and with impunity. Any social group that develops itself into a ghetto will always have tendencies to uphold 'honour'. This is largely done for security and recognition as a true-blue member of that group, caste, tribe or community. If there are chances for proper assimilation of various kinds of social groups, and their being available to each other; and also if they are interacting on a regular basis, being aware of each others' customs, then sure enough it is a collective honour of the collective sensibility of the groups, and not that of a particular or ostracised diminutive social entity. Collective and assimilative social sensibilities, which cater to a wide spectrum of the stratum, will always be condemnatory of the lead taken by any of its subsidiary group of the act of killing for 'honour'.

In perspective

Before going further into the causes of, and remedies against such killings, let us examine the scenario as picturised in the magnum opus, "Mother India", which had general acceptance of the mother taking the life of her son when he dares to play with the honour of a girl from his own village (and thus the collective honour of the entire village community).

Urban sensibilities do not generally subscribe to the concept of 'honour' killing for various reasons. This is not to suggest that in an urban atmosphere, the sensibilities lack their mass appeal and application. But it is a fact that more of awareness, education and enlightenment, up to some degree, of a particular urbane populace, give scope for thought before such an extreme step is executed against individuals, who are otherwise estranged or ostracised. Experience has shown that closer one is to the nucleus in a social group where he or she cohabits, there are more chances of such a killing if the "locally perceived situation so warrants". If the "executioner" of the killing is relatively away from that particular nucleus, he is less likely to take up such means as a "corrective” step, which he otherwise prefers to adopt to reassure his individual social placement, individual social status and collective honour in the group.

Undoubtedly, the caste factor plays a very important role in recognising the stakes as are typical to different groups in the Indian context. The castes are historically known to be scoring on each other by being a cut above the rest when it comes to meeting with any kind of threat extended to their own entity. In such a situation, a defence mechanism, which has en masse and free inflowing social support from within that particular caste, or group, surfaces. It is generally the moral booster for someone who indulges in the crime of killing for 'honour' since the executioner feels 'righted' in his own right and action.

When the members of a caste group pamper themselves with such reinforcements of 'caste sensibilities' on a regular basis, the quest for upholding the caste's 'honour' and urge for maintaining the perceived 'superior status', or the perceived 'commitment', has its manifestation into a very well entrenched and engrained acceptance of facts at the collective psychological level of the members.

Distance from nucleus

Yet another factor to be kept in mind is that if the 'law-breakers' are right in view, or if the object of 'bad name' or perceived 'insult' is instantaneously in the line of fire, then the thoughtless, darter attack on the unsuspecting victims is inevitable. How grave is the crime committed? Although the social status of both sides matters a lot, sometimes economic disparity may loosen the controls of the groups on the executioners of the crime.

The gravity of the offence generally determines the practice of 'honour' killing. If you marry in a different caste at a far-off place (being away from the nucleus), which is fairly distanced from the nucleus, the gravity of the misdemeanour may not be that big a factor with the so-called group, killing is then relegated to just finding out the couple to tackle them appropriately later. In a girl's case, being found in compromising position, running away from home, having been sexually exploited and left to fend for herself, forcefully married, kidnapped or abducted; these are all factors which are fairly grave to evoke killing the boy for honour.

Custom of gotras

A common reader may not be aware of the custom related to 'gotras'. Many castes do not allow same 'gotra' marriages. It's not typical only to Jats. Some castes compromise on the one, two, three, four or even five steps distanced 'gotras' while finalising alliances since they have to conform to the norms in a situation when a particular 'gotra' is either in large numbers, or small. Then there is a practice of 'adopting' the maternal uncle's 'gotra' in some other communities to felicitate a marriage. Even among the Jats, the step distance from the mother's side or the grandmother's varies from 'gotra' to 'gotra'. Hence, it is a transitional phase continuing since times unknown and there have been resolution of issue relating to prohibition of degree in 'gotras' that go into minority. There is a tradition in Haryana in vogue even today that if you attend a marriage even a 100 miles away from your village, the elders would invariably ask it there were any girls belonging to their 'gotra' whom they offer a brotherly token in cash. In such circumstances, and the custom being in existence and recognised in law, it would be risky to make an assessment. This proves that the issue of 'gotras' has constantly been evolving with restrictions loosened as and when difficulties were faced. Awareness being created in the media should bring about a cascading effect in the form of social change.

Role of police

Generally the role of the police is suspect in cases involving such killings. Given that the policemen too come from the same tradition-bound society, it is not always true that they have sympathies for the perpetrators of the crime or collude by their acts of omission or commission, but that they are handicapped in more ways than one.

First and foremost, is the absence of a complainant who has to ultimately steer the case of the prosecution. Then there are no witnesses - here a collusive assent of the instant social group to the crime or their just staying away, compounds the job of the police. When a 'studied silence' prevails in the environment around, what sounds would be heard to bring home the guilt to the criminals in the courts domes and arches of sanctified hard proof beyond any shadow of doubt - is the question. And it cannot be blamed on the police.

In the recent Rohtak case, it was only the police that recovered the half-burnt body of one of the victims. There are almost no recoveries to be effected since the perpetrators of the crime do not 'audaciously' hide anything but rather take pride in their 'doing' and sort of cooperate in investigations, many a time confessing their crime, which is seen by them as justified. Even if the police seeks police remand for the criminals, there isn't much to extract from them. It is a fact the police is worried and serious in pursuing such cases, more than other murder cases. It is the circumstantial evidence that the courts need to place more reliance on, insofar as direct evidence is concerned, besides forensic inputs. Even evidence given to the media in the form of interviews, etc. should be appreciated when the perpetrators before the trial 'brag' about their act of the most horrendous proportions. The testimony of mediapersons can go a long way in nailing the murderers in such a case when no witnesses come forward.

The writer is posted as Commissioner of Police, Ambala-Panchkula.

Myth and Reality of the Khap Panchayats

During the past few years, marriages within ‘gotra’ (clan) of the Jat community have come into the limelight. Frequently, those couples who have eloped have been brutally murdered by the diktats of the elders—these are known as ‘honour killings’. Many such incidents have occurred in Haryana, Western Uttar Pradesh and the rural belt of Delhi. These areas have reaped the fruits of modernization and access to various facilities such as educational institutions, health centres, modernized roads and multinational business establishments that have encouraged foreign investment. There exists a vast gulf between this modernization and the almost feudal mind sets of people like the ‘Khap Panchayats’ who force couples who have entered intra-gotra marriages to return to the community fold, even to the extent of forcing the couples to live like siblings. A large number of such wedded couples have even lost their lives. Thus, as per their gotra affinity, the Khap Panchayats consider them as brother and sister. The Khap Panchayats try to legitimize their actions by quoting historical antecedents of uncertain origin to support their practices. They are of the opinion that the Khap Panchayat is an age old institution, having its foundation in the early medieval period.
By Suraj Bhan Bhardwaj, Associate Professor, Motilal Nehru College, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
for full text of the article: http://sih.sagepub.com/content/28/1/43.abstract
Posted by Daljit Ami