Narnaund, October 31
Hundreds of representatives from several villages of Lohans in Haryana attended a Lohan khap mahapanchayat here today. The panchayat had been called to resolve the issue of the proposed marriage of a Lohan girl to a Kadyan boy of Jakholi village, where several Lohan families are settled.
The mahapanchayat decided to hold talks with the Kadyans of Jakholi to end the social boycott of the Lohans of that village. Decision on the proposed marriage was, however, deferred for the time being.
Mr Ram Diya Lohan of Alewa village in Jind district, who heads the Lohan khap, presided over the mahapanchayat and pronounced the decision. Talking to The Tribune soon after the panchayat was over, he said a decision regarding the proposed marriage would depend on the outcome of the talks. A delegation of the Lohan community will visit Jakholi village for talks on November 2, he added.
Mr Pratap Singh Lohan of Rajpura Bhain village in Jind district, who had decided to marry his daughter, Pinky, to a Kadyan family of Jakholi village in Kaithal district, accepted the verdict of the mahapanchayat. He has been facing opposition from his community on this.
Seeing the topicality of the situation, media teams, including those of various satellite television channels, were there to cover the event. Their reporters and cameramen had to face a few hurdles initially owing to opposition from villagers, which gradually gave way.
The problem had started when Pinky’s marriage was proposed to Satyajit, a son of Dr Ranbir Kadyan of Jakholi village. The proposal was opposed by several members of the Lohan community on the plea that in 1978, a Lohan panchayat had prohibited the members of the community from marrying their girls in those village in which Lohan families were settled.
Following this, the Kadyans, who are in majority in Jakholi village, called for a social boycott of the members of the Lohan community in their village, which continues till date. The boycott infuriated the Lohans and they turned against Mr Pratap Singh.
Some representatives of the Lohan community maintained that Mr Baru Ram from Pinky’s family was instrumental in the 1978 decision. Now, a girl from his own family was being married in a village of Lohans, which was against the decision.
Interestingly, the mahapanchayat observed that the times had changed a lot since 1978 and today’s situation was totally different. Mr Ram Diya Lohan, pronouncing the panchayat’s decision, asserted that the norms needed to be reviewed from time to time.
It was also felt by the mahapanchayat that marriage was not child’s play and the decision should not be taken in a hurry. It condemned the social boycott of the Lohans in Jakholi village and the ill-treatment they were being subjected to. The outcome of the Lohans’ parleys with the Kadyans would be known only on November 2, following which a decision on the proposed marriage of Pinky and Satyajit would also be decided.
