Govt divided over how to handle khap panchayats

New Delhi:  The government seems divided over how to handle "khap panchayats" or kangaroo courts that have been ordering the execution of young couples who marry out of caste.

At a cabinet meeting this morning, ministers could not arrive at a consensus on whether to introduce a bill that would equate the orders of these killings with murder.

"The Prime Minister will set up a Group of Ministers (GoM) to discuss the note in greater detail," said Ambika Soni, Minister for Information and Broadcasting.   

Sources have told NDTV that HRD Minister Kapil Sibal and Road Transport and Highways Minister Kamal Nath agreed that current law is not enough and that a separate Act is needed to deal with dishonour killings. Sibal is also said to have proposed a separate Act (like the one on Sati) to prevent such killings.

Khap panchayats are common in Punjab and Haryana. They act swiftly and violently most often against couples who marry within the same "gotra" or caste.

In the last few weeks, cities like Delhi have seen several cases of dishonor killings where families have killed their daughters and sons-in-law for inter-caste marriages. 

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Tags: Ambika Soni, Cabinet meeting on khap, Govt divided over Khap, Khap panchayats