Higher council to intervene in Haryana caste row

ROHTAK - Two days after a village ‘panchayat’ (council) near this Haryana town directed a married couple to start living as “brother and sister” as they were from the same ‘gotra’ (sub-caste), a higher panchayat Monday decided to intervene to resolve the issue amicably.

A delegation of the ‘Jatia sarv khap yuva panchayat’ (youth council) along with members of the affected boy’s family met the meham chaubisi chief Randhir Singh here and sought his intervention in the matter.

Randhir Singh has assured us that this issue will be resolved soon as a panchayat meeting is likely to be called on Sunday. He said that they will not allow anybody to ruin the couple’s life by this bizarre verdict, said Satish Rathi, chief of yuva panchayat.

According to the diktat of Kheri village panchayat, which was taken Saturday after over six-hour long meeting, the couple was directed to end their marriage and adopt the relationship of siblings.

Satish Berwal of Kheri village in this district was married to Kavita, a resident of Bhagi village in Jhajjar district, three years ago. The couple also have a 10-month-old son.

The panchayat had also directed Satish’s father Azad Singh to disinherit his son from all the property and belongings and deposit Rs.300,000 in the name of his grandson in a bank.

Haryana panchayats are known for many notorious decisions related to inter-caste marriages.