By Purnima Mohindra
Two young lives were sniffed out of Garnanathi village in Rothak district. One was Nidhi Barak, only 20 years old and the other was 23 years old Dharamendar Barak. Their fault was falling in love despite being of the same gotra. They were killed by their own kin.
It is said that the father and maternal uncle of the girl killed the two young lovers in full public view. The father and uncle of the deceased were initiated by the victim’s mother who did not shed a single tear on her daughter’s death, instead the family held scant regard for the law of the land. They shared no remorse and were responsible for killings of the most barbaric nature. Dharmendar was beheaded and his arm, leg and head were severed from repeatedly stabbed torso, while Nidhi’s body was sliced. Not even a single witness came forward who had either heard or seen anything regarding this crime.
This is not an isolated case though. There are many such cases which are a cause of disgrace to the nation with absolutely no regrets from the accused. These barbarian acts have the blessings of khap panchayats. So much so that the victims’ families do not even file complaints. These Jat dominated packets of Haryana do not condemn such crimes and are only concerned about age old traditions and customs. In fact the khaps are planning to launch an agitation to bring amendment to the Hindu Marriage Act 1995 and ban inter gotra and same village marriages. Fear of social boycott instigates such gruesome incidents. It is high time government steps in and tries to tackle this problem at the grass root level. In order to protect the young generation we need to change the mindset of people and that too as soon as possible before more lives are lost to these mindless killings. Efficient administration is a must to help control the unconstitutional khaps.
