The Ground Reality of Khaps

 

Every community in India has its own type of social organization. Minority religions have their unique systems regarding marriage, divorce, etc. These are so unique that some of them are even beyond the reach of civil and marriage acts in the constitution. It means the Indian constitution allows diversity of culture and thought. The Khaps should basically be analyzed with a belief in this very concept. If so many distinct customs of marriage, divorce, property rights, which are even in stark contrast to other uniform laws in India, are allowed then why are khap panchayats judged with an exceptional, exclusive judgmental hammer ignoring so many unique cultural traits they define and defend regarding the Jat community. We have to understand that these are basically units of social organizations just like any other community in India and having its own utility and flaws.

 

Those who sit in the studios and blabber about the issue of honour killings should come out and see the ground realities related to honour killings. Ask the family where such incidences have taken place. They will tell it was the fear of getting marginalized by the mainstream society and the fear of stigma that drove them into the gruesome act. There have not been outright cases where the Khaps ordain honour killings. There have been some incidences when some injunctions cutting individual freedom were unfortunately ordained from the Khap chabutra, but in those cases it happens when things somehow reach the larger domain of the community and get politically motivated. In such cases these criminal acts need to be punished as per the law of the land. Don’t individuals commit murders? Does that mean that all of us should be put under scanner for being possible murders? Every individual, every institution in the domain of social, economic and political framework has its own versions of criminal acts. Does that mean that we should raise questions about their existence itself? Civilization thrives on reformation, not termination. Even the Britishers thought of reforming so many unique customs instead of gross termination.

 

Right from the Muslims to the people in down south, marriage customs are different in India. If Khaps have a stand against same gotra marriages then what is wrong with that? Genetically it has been proved that the more you move away from the genetic line of your parentage, the better are the offsprings. On what grounds we get judgmental? From the yardsticks of Hindu marriage customs, some customs related to certain communities will appear unacceptable. So just targeting a particular community regarding its marriage customs does not sound prudent and justified.

 

The biggest undoing with Khaps has been their spokesmen! Jats are basically farmers and count very low when it comes to being diplomatically correct. If put prudently even a slap may sound like a logical act born of some justified grievance. And if not put appropriately, even a justified act may appear like a gruesome act. That’s what Khap leaders have done to their system. Their ill-calculated statements regarding reduction of marriage age to cut down on rape, not allowing women to use mobile, codes regarding dress, etc., have brought ill-repute to Khaps. On the practical surface there is hardly any negative change in the lives of the girls and the women on account of such instructions, but yes after getting overhyped in the media Khaps sound like Taliban ever trying to enslave women. Before getting panicked whenever there is such an injunction by some Khap, kindly visit the respective areas and find out if there is a change in the lives of women. You would not find any perceptible change. But yes Khaps will definitely get demonized. Khaps become just self-injurious in such matters. It happens just once in a while when some old patriarch of the headgear generation gets panicked possibly on ulterior grounds and ordains something funny which does not have any effect on the ground level. So Khaps should have diplomatically correct and educated people as their spokesmen who know what they are saying and what might be the consequences.

 

If we just strictly look from the prism of modernity then most of the unique aspects of different communities will appear redundant. We are here to preserve distinctness, not to smother down diversity. Doing that just against Khaps does not sound like treating Jats equally with other communities in India. So many customs and ways of life related to many other communities also repeatedly rub against the shoulders of law. So reformation is the key objective, not annihilation. In this regard Supreme Court’s observations on Khaps appear unjustified.

 

Every social system having historical roots has and will serve a role. So to say that Khaps have become redundant is quite farcical. Khaps are passing through a generational shift. The old patriarchs still clinging to its top leadership sometimes over buzz the panic button. It has to be understood that many things that are happening are beyond their imagination. So the reaction! But most of the times their reaction has not any effect at the practical level. Once this generation bows out, brighter young people who are more educated will take charge of Khaps. We have to facilitate this generational shift in Khap leadership instead of tabooing them the Taliban way,