In Hry, it’s women versus Khaps over raising marriageable age

Gurgaon: The Central government’s decision to raise the marriageable age of girls from 18 to 21 years has pitted the Khap and Lado panchayats against one another in the state. Calling it an empowering move at a meeting on Tuesday, Lado panchayat participants openly questioned the Khap leaders’ opposition to the proposal, which the latter claimed would adversely affect society.
On Tuesday, the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, which seeks to increase the marriageable age of women from 18 to 21 years, was sent to a parliamentary committee for scrutiny after it was introduced in the Lok Sabha. The Union Cabinet had on December 15 cleared a proposal to raise the legal age of marriage for women to bring it at par with that of men.
Khap leaders, however, are unhappy with the Centre’s proposal and are planning to submit a draft objection, sources said. Around 150 khap panchayats across Haryana are also planning to hold a ‘mahapanchayat’ in Jind district on December 23.
“If the voting age of boys can be 18 years and marriage age 21 years, then why it can’t be the same for girls? Those who are opposing this move should ask girls and women living in villages about how desperately want such measures,” Sheetal Loura (22), a resident of Balsamand village in Hisar district, said.
Twenty-three-year-old Monika Bazzad from Rohtak condemned the statements issued by some Khap leaders in Haryana and UP that increasing the age of marriage would give women “time to roam around” and “spoil their character”. “Such statements are sickening,” she said.
Dev Vrat Dhanda, the organiser of the upcoming mahapanchayat, meanwhile, said they would discuss the social and legal implications of the move before reaching a conclusion. “If a girl is young and is not intelligent enough to enter college, then the parents won’t want wait (for her to attain 21 years) but would want to get their daughter married early. Also, if this decision is implemented only for Hindus, then it will be wrong,” Dhanda said.
In response to the December 23 mahapanchayat, the Lado panchayat has also given a call for a massive meeting in Meerut. “The decision has been taken for the benefit of women, so they should be allowed to form an opinion about it,” Sunil Jaglan, organiser of Lado panchayat, said.
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