Click to play videoKarnal (Haryana): Eleven-day-old Ankush, who had been taken away from his parents by a panchayat in Karnal has been found by Haryana police.
The police have also registered a case of abduction against six panchayat members who had snatched the baby from his parents, objecting to their marriage.
However, in Kathleri village, there was fear of ostracism everywhere when residents were questioned during investigation. Six days after Kavita and Pawan had their baby taken away by their caste panchayat because they had married against the custom, not one villager dared to speak out in their favour.
"We cannot raise our voice against the gotra. We have to stay here, " said a villager, Sunil.
Kavita and Pawan were from the same gotra, an ancient system of classification by clan, and village elders said their marriage amounted to incest.
“The society doesn’t allow this. Let the law say whatever. This is a century old tradition and we object to people trying to break it,” said Member, Village Panchayat, Ranveer Singh.
Villagers say the couple is fortunate. Only two months back another couple from Karoran village in Haryana was allegedly drowned by their village caste panchayat when they got married in similar circumstances.
But experts say caste panchayats often function as a parallel judiciary in small villages, a role they have no right to play.
"Caste panchayat's are losing its meaning and purpose. There can be only one set of laws either judiciary or caste panchayat,” said Professor of Sociology JNU, Anand Kumar.
Former Chairperson, NCW, Poornima Advani added, ”Panchayats have no rights to interfere in the private matters. Law of the land should be known to the panchayat members. There cannot be any parallel system in law. There is only one system and everybody has to follow the same.”
(With inputs from Marya Shakil in New Delhi)
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