Ban night weddings to minimise road mishaps, demand Khaps

Rohtak (Haryana): Haryana's Khap panchayats, who have already received flak over their moral policing-blended diktats, on Sunday asked the state government to ban marriage functions at night as it would lessen cases of drunken driving by keeping off youths from alcohol. A resolution to this effect was passed during an assembly of over 200 representatives from around 50 Khaps of the state in Rohtak, which found wedding ceremonies in the night as the main cause of increasing road mishaps.

During the functions, the participants, especially youths, would consume alcohol and then drive, leading to mishaps, the meeting noted. Om Prakash Dhankar, a participant in the meeting, said their delegation will soon meet Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and demand a ban on night marriages.

"Khap representatives will visit villages of their areas to convince people not to organise marriages of their wards at night so that rising rates of road accident could be brought down after restraining youths from consuming liquor," he said. The Khaps also sought amendment in the Hindu Marriage Act to make way for a ban on marriages within the same 'gotra' (clan). Another participant Hardeep Singh said Khaps will work towards informing people about the "negative fallouts" of such marriages.

A resolution to this effect was passed during an assembly of over 200 representatives from around 50 Khaps of the state.

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