Khaps say marry them young, Cong sees conspiracy

Amid outrage over a string of rapes in Haryana, Khap panchayats have come out with a bizarre suggestion that the marriageable age limit should be done away with, claiming it will check such crimes. The Congress, however, saw a "conspiracy" in the incidents.

"Boys and girls should be married by the time they turn 16, so that they do not stray... this will decrease incidents of rape," Sube Singh, a Khap representative, said. The comments came a day after a teenaged Dalit girl immolated herself after being allegedly gangraped in Jind district — the 12th incident of rape in Haryana within a month.

Lashing out at the Hooda government, the INLD claimed that these incidents reflected a failure on law and order front. The INLD will submit a memorandum to the state Governor on October 10 demanding dismissal of the Hooda government.

State Congress president Phool Chand Mullana, on the other hand, claimed that it was a conspiracy to malign the government. "Such incidents happened earlier also, we condemn them... no accused has been protected... this could be a conspiracy against the state government. Who can tell where the next incident will take place, but wherever it has taken place, authorities have taken prompt action. Where is the question of law and order failure," he said.

Meanwhile, concerned over teenagers being targeted, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights on Sunday stepped in seeking explanation from the state government in each case, including action taken against culprits. NCPCR Chairperson Shanta Sinha said, "We feel that in Haryana, it is not the sole issue which is coming to limelight. You have seen the sex ratio as well. There has been only 830/1000 girls."

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