Barely a week after a young couple was bludgeoned to death in a Rohtak village of Haryana for daring to cross the caste-barrier news of another honour killing of a young couple has filtered out from a Karnal village putting once again into focus the pernicious practice of honour killings inspired by caste-panchayats in the state.
The latest incident of honour killing of Babli and Manoj has been inspired by the edict of a kangaroo court— the khap (caste) panchayat— which allegedly pronounced death on the young couple since they belonged to the same gotra (sub-caste).
The young lovers who had eloped and got married in a court were allegedly administered a dose of pesticides and then thrown into a canal with their hands and feet tied by the relatives of the girls including her elder brother. Shockingly, the residents of the Karora village hailed the heinous act of the girl’s relatives for “restoring the family honour”.
Last week, in a public display of brutality, the brother of 20- year old Anita had hacked her and her lover Sonu, to death in full view of the villagers in Rohtak district. Instead of running away, the unrepentant accused, Jai Bhagwan, himself informed the police and kept sitting beside the corpses till the police came to arrest him.
Parties mum
What is most shocking is the fact that no mainstream party in Haryana or the politicians openly condemn the medieval practice of khap panchayats.Political analysts say criticising the verdicts of these caste panchayats would be “politically incorrect” for any party worth its salt in the caste-oriented Haryana polity.
For the record, the Haryana government had submitted to the Punjab and Haryana high court  last year that the caste panchayats had no legal sanctity and were not recognised under any law. The affidavit by the government came after a PIL challenged the action of a khap panchayat asking a pregnant woman to dissolve her marriage with her husband and to treat him as a brother.
The court had directed the government and the state police to protect the life and liberty of all the couples (and their families) who were threatened by the kangaroo courts.The court had also directed to take strict action against the members of the khap panchayats.