No role in honour killings: Khap panchayats

Haryana khap panchayat leaders on Tuesday reiterated they did not have any role in honour killings in the state. They claimed that while there are no khaps in Punjab, still there had been over 280 cases of honour killings. Haryana, however, has registered 170 such killings.

Around 50 cases of honour killings also came to light in UP. Haryana is not the only state from where such incidents are reported, they added.

While addressing mediapersons in Jind, Coordinator of Jats Khap Panchayat, Kuldeep Dhanda, said: "Khap panchayats have never issued any verdict of honour killing. It is not that khaps are pronouncing such verdicts everywhere. We had been raising voice against the same gotra marriages because it leads to several ailments, which has also been scientifically proven. We have even appealed to the Supreme Court to ban same gotra marriages and bring an amendment in the Hindu Marriage Act."

The leaders added that various khaps had submitted their opinion on the issue of honour killings and female foeticide in the Supreme Court on Monday. The Supreme Court had asked khaps of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to submit their views on the two issues by February 18 over a case filed by Delhi-based NGO Shakti Vahini. The case will now come up for hearing on March 5.

Last month, around 67 khaps of Haryana had submitted their views before the Supreme Court in the same case, claiming that not a single case of honour killing had been reported, in which a khap member, was an accused.

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