Haryana, August 07: After 22 years Sindoliya khap panchayat of Haryana have lifted social boycott of a family charged with marriage in the same gotra.
Chandram, a resident of Barwas village in Haryana’s Bhiwani district, had married his two sons Sajjan Singh and Umed Singh with two sisters of Beran village in Churu district of Rajasthan.
Following this, Barwas khap panchayat accused Chandram of violating social norms and traditions and they imposed a social boycott of his family August 1988. Though they were allowed to stay in the village, nobody was allowed to interact with the victim family.
A senior member of Barwas village said that the residents of Barwas village belonged to Sheoran khap and the natives of Beran village belonged to Sindoliya khap. Sheoran and Sindoliya khaps have bondage of brotherly relation and we cannot marry children from these two khaps.
Chandram and his brother Srichand died last year. However, Chandram’s younger brother, Sukh Lal, sought the panchayat’s pardon.
Now the family members are free to roam around in the village and can talk to anyone,” said a member of Sindoliya khap panchayat here Saturday.
He added: “Sukh Lal and Chandram’s sons have apologized before the panchayat. They have pledged that they will not violate the social norms in future.”
Haryana khap panchayats are famous for their notorious decisions pertaining to marriages between the same clan. In numerous cases, young couples have been killed in the name of honour by the rigid khap members.
—Agencies