This refers to the timely and well-researched article, “Khap panchayat: signs of desperation” (May 8) by Jagmati Sangwan. As we move away from the National Capital, the law of the land seems to change with the changing landscape. A section of our population has unquestionable faith in the justice of the khap which delivers even death sentence in one sitting. The police and the democratically elected panchayats passively consent to the savage and barbaric writs of the khap . Worse still, these kangaroo courts seek legal sanction to their medieval practices.
Khap panchayats and their Taliban-style verdicts have no place in a democratic country.
Francis Kuriakose
and Deepa Kylasam Iyer,
Puducherry
Haryana seems to be at a crossroads. Economically one of the most prosperous States of India, Haryana is a picture of contrast: its towns and cities are teeming with brisk business with emerging malls and housing complexes while the rural hinterland is still entrenched in patriarchal life. No wonder, the khap panchayat calls the shots there.
Of course, the gotra (sub-caste) problem has wrecked havoc. Get the poorly paid Jat farmers in the countryside compensated better and help get more of their youth gainfully employed, the menace of khap panchayats could be addressed to a large extent.
Raj Bahadur Yadav,
Fatehabad, Haryana
