Kurukshetra, April 13
The Sarv Khap Mahapanchayat held here today was more of “khapp (noisy)” than serious deliberations for most of the day. The pre-lunch proceedings were even more chaotic than witnessed in some of the state assemblies these days.

The panchayat was held in the backdrop of the death sentence pronounced on the killers of Manoj and Babli of Kaithal district, who had married in defiance of social norms.

It was only in the post-lunch session that some order was restored and the panchayat was able to take decisions, including the date of its next meeting. By that time, many representatives of the Haryana khaps had left. Some organisers declared the proceedings as “closed” after they had their say, but a section, primarily comprising supporters of Uttar Pradesh BKU leader Mahendra Singh Tikait, continued with the proceedings.

At the morning session, hardly anybody on the dais was allowed to speak without interruption. At times it appeared that the panchayat would end with an exchange of blows. Before “closing” the proceedings, some organisers read out decisions purported to have been taken by a committee of representatives of various khaps. The decisions included a demand for amendment in the Hindu Marriage Act prohibiting marriages in the same gotra and the same village and raising funds for a legal battle on behalf of those convicted for killing Manoj and Babli.

Later, certain khap leaders like Shamsher Singh Kharkhara and Haryana BKU leader Ghasi Ram Nain, told mediapersons that no decision had been taken at the panchayat and they would hold more panchayats in the near future to take a decision on the contentious gotra row.

Yudhvir Singh, general secretary of the All-India Jat Sabha, who owes allegiance to Tikait, gave a call to block GT Road if the state government did not respond positively to their demand for amendment in the Hindu Marriage Act “within an hour”. In response, some participants blocked the university road outside the Jat Dharamshala where the panchayat was held.

However, the police as well as other leaders persuaded them to lift the blockade.

To divert the attention of the protesters, an afternoon session was held, which was presided over by Tikait. This session decided to formally present a memorandum to Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who is scheduled to visit here tomorrow, to stop marriages within the same gotra.

It was also decided that another meeting of the panchayat would be held in Jind on May 25. An 11-member committee was constituted under the chairmanship of Ranjit Singh, president of the Kurukshetra Jat Sabha, to organise the Jind meeting. An appeal was made to all to contribute at least Rs 5 per family to contest the case on behalf of those convicted for killing Manoj and Babli.