UP khaps call for boycott of those guilty of female foeticide

In an apparent bid to shun its ‘anti-women’ image and perhaps in the wake of all round criticism of their recent diktats, the khaps, for a change, have advocated stringent laws to deal with the menace of female foeticide. 

They have also announced formation of women’s committee to take up issues related to them but remained firm on their opposition to jeans and marriages in the same gotra.

Adopting a more liberal attitude towards the womenfolk, the Sarva Khap (all khaps) panchayat at Jasoi village in Muzaffarnagar district, on Wednesday, called for a social boycott of parents guilty of female foeticide and also asked the parents to give pocket money to the girls like the boys.

“The doctors found involved in female foeticide should be tried for murder and the families doing so must be socially boycotted”, said Subhash Baliyan, Sarva Khap secretary.

The panchayat also declared that it would honour anyone giving information to the khaps about the doctor, who was involved in female foeticide.

“The name of the informer will be kept a secret”, it said.

Baliyan also announced that a women’s committee would be formed by the Sarva Khap to ensure more transparency in the decisions about the issues concerning the womenfolk. “The elder women will be included in the committee as they are more experienced”, he said.

Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) president Naresh Tikait said the women must be educated as only then can they take decisions in their interest. Tikait said the khaps were not terrorist outfits. 

“Today’s youth is paying more attention in eloping with girls rather than focusing on studies. We must stop this”, he said.

Another khap chief Chaudhary Surajmal also advocated better education for the girls.The leaders however remained firm on their opposition to the jeans and same gotra marriages. “Jeans is spoiling the younger generation. It is dangerous for Indian culture”, Tikait said.

The decisions assume significance as they come soon after the diktat of a panchayat in Baghpat district banning love marriages and use of cell phones by women under 40 and going to the markets without an escort.  In an all women panchayat later, the young girls voluntarily took a pledge never to wear jeans and grow nails besides shunning the use of cell phones till 12th standard.