Are you married? Or are you planning to marry? Did you know your girlfriend just might be your sister?! Yes, if the Khap Panchayats are to be believed then an astonishing number of married couples have figured in their list of an unnatural marriage between a brother and sister.
Background
A little background, before we get into it: The Khap Panchayats were formed in ancient times as an administration system. To simplify things villages around one geographical area became one Khap. It was like a democratic electorate that tried to resolve problems and provide constructive ideas for the development of their people.
In today’s times however things have deteriorated. The Khap Panchayat is now a self-proclaimed justice system, with a set of ‘rules’ and ‘acceptable behavioural norms’ based on certain people’s perception/ interpretation of tradition and the morally just. It now decides who can be given their personal version of a ‘fatwa’ and killed in the name of religion and morals.
What’s Gotra?
The main issue is the ‘gotra’ – which is essentially lineage defined usually by tracing the male line of descent.
One interpretation on the web, which talks of the gotra as part of the Vedic period is: “In general, gotra denotes all persons who trace descent in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor. Panini defines gotra for grammatical purposes as ' apatyam pautraprabhrti gotram' (IV. 1. 162), which means 'the word gotra denotes the progeny beginning with the son's son. When a person says ' I am Kashypasa-gotra' he means that he traces his descent from the ancient sage Kashyapa by unbroken male descent.” Source: http://www.vedah.net/manasanskriti/Brahmins.html.
Just to clarify, the concept of gotra does not apply only to Brahmins; this meaning is for your understanding of the concept of gotra / lineage.
So, the issue is?
So, now if you have a couple that can trace back their lineage to same fore-father, then by that concept the Khap Panchayat makes you siblings. Marriage, they say, will be a violation of societal norms. And, if you go against them, they will have your life taken! These are “socially justifiable” ‘Honour Killings’. (for god knows whose honour!)
Now the issue is, the gotra started in the Rig Veda era, which means a gazzilion years ago, and to be honest we are all descendents of a few humans who started life on the Earth. The Bible calls them Adam and Eve. So yeah, by that standard we are all related! Of course, we do not know, or care. If we did, one we wouldn’t have multiplied at this amazing rate and second, we pretty much wouldn’t be warring and bombing our own siblings. Ok, digressing here. But you get the picture.
What logic, boss!
The concept of now murdering innocent loved ones is stupid. And what is worse is that many a time, the parents, brothers and other family members are involved in the actual act of violence! Then they come on the news at nine and proudly say, “Poor us, we had to kill them. We cannot expose our future generation to such morally vicious acts committed in the name of love.” Yes guys, but telling your kids that murder is ok in the name of religion, is perfectly fine. Yes, yes, sir such amazing logic! Why did we not think of this earlier? Bush Junior could have used that excuse, instead of lying about invisible WMDs (weapons of mass destruction)!
The fact is that the Khap Panchayat has disrespected even the Supreme Court’s recent guilty verdict on the murder of a young couple ordered by these ‘vigilantes’. They say the Constitution needs to change to accommodate their views: Change the Hindu Marriage Act, and add the gotra bit to make a million marriages impossble. Kill love. Yahoo!
It is shocking their logic has influenced people in a modern city like Delhi, India, to commit such crimes. What has happened to the law? We can’t seem to give justice to anyone. Not to the Bhopalis, not to the 26/11 victims, not to the innocent couples…. GOI needs to declare the organisation illegal and not only arrest, but punish the offenders. Enough of this buffoonery.
Further reading
Just for further reading this is National Human Rights Commission’s take on the subject from their website http://nhrc.nic.in/dispArchive.asp?fno=2064:
NHRC's statement on the alleged diktats of Khap Panchayats
New Delhi, May 13th, 2010
The National Human Rights Commission has taken note of media reports alleging that the Khap (Caste) Panchayats in Haryana are indulging in acts of violence against the Hindu couples marrying in the same gotra. It has also taken note of their alleged demand of an amendment in the Hindu Marriage Act, banning the marriages in the same gotra on the ground that such marriages will amount to marriage between a brother and a sister unacceptable among Hindus as per tradition.
The Commission is of the view that no one has the right to take law in his hand by violating an individual's right to life in the name of tradition.
The Commission has issued notices to the public authorities wherein complaints or media reports have alleged violence against the couples married in the same gotra or inter-caste in parts of Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh, and has asked them to take action against those responsible for such acts violating the human rights of the people.
It has also asked the concerned State Authorities in Uttar Pradesh in a particular case of this nature to inform the Commission about the steps taken by them to deal with such issues for preventing interference by the Khap Panchayat in the Criminal Justice System (Case No. 16755/24/2005-06-WC).
The issue of amendment to the Hindu Marriage Act, banning same gotra marriages is a subject matter of wider debate keeping in view the national perspective on the social, cultural and traditional aspects, as well as an individual's right to liberty as enshrined in the Constitution.
