'Only whores choose their partners'

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I-G

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'Only whores choose their partners'
Sameer Arshad, TNN 8 September 2009, 03:13am IST

SISAULI(Western UP): Squatting on his haunches, dhoti-clad and bare-chested, Mahendra Singh Tikait declares: “We live by a moral code where honour has to be protected at any cost.’’

As the chaudhary of the Baliyan khap, the 79-year-old farmer’s views matter. He presides over a system of justice that is almost medieval and disdains the laws of the Indian state.

Tikait’s moral code is simple. In his own words: Same-gotra marriages are incestuous, “No society would accept it. Why do you expect us to do so? Incest violates maryada (honour) and villagers would kill or be killed to protect their maryada.” “Love marriages are dirty, I don’t even want to repeat the word...Only whores can choose their partners.”

Education has contributed to “this dirt”. “Recently an educated couple married against the samaj’s (community’s) wishes in Jhajjar. We hail the panchayat’s decision to execute them...The government cannot protect this atyachar (immoral behaviour).”

Those who dare to cross the line must suffer the consequences. Like Radha of Muzaffarnagar’s Fugana village. Three years ago, she was stripped, burnt and hung from a tree. Her crime was to fall in love. Anecdotal accounts say she is one of many.

There is no reliable data on honour killings because the National Crime Records Bureau records them under ‘murder’ and many cases aren’t even reported. But there is growing acknowledgement that the problem is serious. Just weeks ago, home minister P Chidambaram told Parliament, “Villagers give precedence to caste panchayat judgments rather than that of the courts’’ and that some panchayats approve of honour killings. “I recoil with shame when I read about them,’’ Chidambaram lamented.

Few here in Sisauli would agree with him. There is broad social acceptance of the khap’s diktats. The chaudhary has so much clout over his people that the police are forced to stay away. “How will they know if parents kill and dump their daughter’s body?’’ asks Kamlesh Devi of Alipur village. “And what’s the harm if we solve our problems amongst ourselves?’’

Tikait claims panchayats are infallible because they have divine sanction. “Panch means parmatma and ayath means court.’’ He also says panchayats have tradition on their side: they existed during Mughal and British rule and the rulers “never interfered’’. He scoffs at the laws of the Indian state, calling them “the root of all problems’’. “That’s your Constitution, ours is different.’’

Daryal Singh, one of Tikait’s retainers, adds that “shameless people (lovers) deserve to die.’’ He gives graphic accounts of lovers being “hanged, tortured or nailed to death”. But Singh stands alone in providing the only real explanation for what sustains this medieval system: bad governance. “The government has failed to provide basic necessities. It’s impossible for people to survive without the samaj. They can’t challenge it,’’ he says.

Raju, a Dalit, agrees. “Paani mein rehna hai toh magarmach se bair nahi le saktay (you can’t fight society if you are living in it).’’ He says social boycotts are a common punitive measure. “People are also regularly paraded and beaten with shoes.” Another villager says theft is punished by cutting off a hand or foot. “I’ve seen a couple being hacked to death after they were caught together.’’

The local police is dismissive. Additional SSP Raja Babu Singh says Jats like to brag. “Panchayats settle minor disputes. We’ve never come across any case of honour killing,’’ he claims. “If khaps violate the law, action is taken.’’ But a journalist who covered Tikait’s arrest last year for abusing Mayawati is sceptical.

“A heavy police contingent laid siege to Sisauli for 12 hours but didn’t dare enter the village to arrest Tikait.’’ If they couldn’t implement the CM’s orders then, how can they stand up to the simple, stark, sinister moral code of the chaudhary and khap now?

'Only whores choose their partners' - India - NEWS - The Times of India
 

I-G

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can you explain this article and post here?
i will remove this once you post or reply
This article is about the social issues in haryana which is linked to honour killings in case of same gotra marriages .

Since when u r having powers to remove or delete threads ?
 

natarajan

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lol i said after you clarify my doubt i will remove my request post
 
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