Honour killing in Haryana

Girls family against same sub-caste marriage

A posse of 15 policemen and a court officer had accompanied the victim, Ved Pal, to assist in taking custody of his 18-year-old wife, Sonia, from her parents village on the directives of a local court. As they entered Singhwal village, the angry mob allegedly led by Sonia’s irate family pounced on the victim, who tried to flee but was beaten to death. The policemen along with the court officer fled the spot leaving the victim at the mercy of the mob.
Ved Pal, 21, who hailed from Mataur village in Kaithal district, died on the spot.

The whereabouts of the girl and her family are still not known and police personnel have been deployed in the tension-gripped village. The police have registered a case of murder against the girl’s family.

Ved Pal had reportedly married Sonia in March this year against the wishes of her family and villagers on account of both hailing from the same gotra (sub-caste). They considered the two as brother and sister. Sonia’s family had allegedly taken her away about three months ago and did not allow her to go back to Pal. Pal then approached the court which directed the police to restore custody of his wife to him.

In caste-conscious Jat community of Haryana, the caste panchayats (khaps) often intervene to annul marriages of boys and girls who marry against societal norms pertaining to the plethora of sub-castes within the mainstream Jat community.

Only last week, a khap panchayat had annulled a marriage in Jhajjar district and asked the groom and his family to leave the village for marrying a girl belonging to the same gotra (sub-caste). The troubled groom, Ravinder, had even attempted suicide but it did not moved the panchayat members who have only extended the deadline to July 25 for his family to leave the village.

DH News Service