Firm on diktat 'khaps' to hold meet

Notwithstanding the nationwide outrage over its diktat banning love marriages and use of cell phones while walking on streets, the ‘khaps’ decided to hold a ‘mahapanchayat’ (grand council meeting) to further spread their ‘unconstitutional’ directives.

The body will meet by the end of the month to solicit support from other communities and implement the diktat, which includes code of conduct for the boys and girls, in other parts of the state.

The members of different communities, including hindu and muslims, held a meeting at Asara village of Baghpat district on Saturday to deliberate on the means and ways to garner support for their directives.Jat Reservation Council president Yashpal Mallik, who attended the meeting, extended his support to the diktat.

“Many senior jat leaders are expected to attend the mahapanchayat to be held on July 21. We hope to get more support for the directive'', said a community leader, who was present at the meeting.

He said that if the jat community extended its support, the diktat could be implemented in many parts of the western region in the state .Their support is vital for making any social directive a success, especially in the western UP districts.The leaders were apparently “pleased” by the statement of a senior UP minister, who said on Friday that the panchayats were free to formulate rules for the betterment of their own societies.“When Taslima Nasreen (Bangladeshi writer) and Salman Rushdie (Indian born British author, who had penned the controversial novel Satanic Verses) say something it’s freedom of expression.. when the panchayats say something its a diktat'', UP minister Azam Khan said in an apparent defence of the panchayat order.People in Asara village had on Friday thrashed cops who had gone there to investigate the matter and torched a motor bike. The villagers had also forced the cops to release two members of the panchayat, who had been arrested.

The State Women Commission has also issued a notice to the Baghpat police chief seeking an explanation in the matter.The panchayat of 36 communities, including hindus and muslims, held at Asara village in the district last week, ruled that those marrying against the wishes of the family would not be allowed to live in the village.