A khap panchayat in Jind, Haryana passed a very different kind of ruling yesterday – no third child after two daughters are born, and during weddings, grooms are allowed to take only Re 1 from the girl’s family as dowry.
At a time, when most khap panchayat rulings are illegal, inhuman and sometimes plain ridiculous and almost always affecting women, this particular one in Jind comes as a breath of fresh air. They are actually fighting against female foeticide for a change instead of being the cause for it!
Bura Khap’s head Rajbir Bura said that members in a meeting held here today have decided to felicitate couples who do not have a third child after the birth of two daughters, and those who took no or only Re 1 as dowry from the bride’s family.
This may exactly be the kind of incentive required to put an end to the evil practice of female foeticide.
The khap has also put a limit on the number of members to be part of the bridegroom’s wedding procession at 21.
“The decision was much needed as too many people constituting a ‘baraat’ puts unnecessary financial burden on the bride’s family,” the Khap head said.
Bura said that a decision to shorten the mourning period after a family member’s death from 13 to 7 days was also taken during the meeting. “It was also decided to end the old practice of not having wheat flour, pulses and ghee (clarified butter) during the mourning period.”
Felicitating sportsmen, social activists and writers was also proposed during the meeting of the Khap members.
