M A I N   N E W S

Hooda defends khaps, says they don’t order honour killings
Geetanjali Gayatri
Tribune News service

Chandigarh, October 5
A fortnight after three honour killings, a double murder in Rohtak’s Gharnawati village and the murder of a teenager in Panipat’s Bapoli village added to Haryana’s now notorious image on the social front, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today came out strongly in defence of the khaps, claiming they had nothing to do with honour killings.

“There is no justification for taking anybody’s life. However, in most cases, the family of the boy or girl is generally behind all such murders. The khaps have nothing to do with honour killings. They don’t pronounce death sentences,” he said here today.

Playing to the gallery of the powerful khaps that call the shots in Haryana, Hooda said though the khaps have no legal sanctity, they are a part of the social structure, preserving age-old traditions.

“I’m as much a part of this society as any of you and I am not in favour of same-gotra marriages. In some southern states of India, a boy can marry his first cousin. That is unheard of in our region. Similarly, same-gotra marriages are not acceptable in our society. This is our custom,” he said.

Stating that nobody was allowed to take law in his own hands, Hooda said swift action was taken against all those guilty of such crimes. “Honour killings don’t happen in Haryana alone. They take place everywhere in our country. Dealing with honour killings needs a change in mindset,” he said.

Denying that he was playing vote-bank politics by favouring khaps, Hooda said, “I don’t indulge in khap or caste politics. I limit myself to the policies of the Congress.”

Asked why the khaps deserved a clean chit, especially since it is their diktats that influence public thinking, the CM chose to underplay their role.