Khaps Push For Ban On Live-In Relationships, Same-Sex Marriages

New Delhi: Leaders of around 300 khap panchayats from northern states have passed resolutions seeking bans on live-in relationships, same-sex relationships and same-sex marriages, besides demanding parental consent for love marriages.

The ‘mahapanchayat’, held in Haryana’s Jind on Sunday, threatened to stage a massive protest if their demands are not accepted.

Khap panchayats from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh took part in the meeting.

“Live-in relationships should be banned. Same-sex marriages should be banned as even the animals avoid this. We also discussed about love marriage. The khaps are not against love marriage, but parents’ consent is a must because no parent wants to harm his or her children,” said Raghubir Nain, chief of Benain khap, adding that the khaps are against “marriage within the same gotra (clan).”

Khap panchayat representatives also decided to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi to pressure the government to amend the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 and keep girls’ marriage age at 18.

“If our demands are not met and the appropriate law is not amended, we will launch an agitation,” he said, adding that a 51-member committee is being constituted.

Female khap leader Santosh Dahia was also in favour of banning live-in relationships.

“The biggest issue that was discussed is live-in relationships and marriages within the same gotra. Live-in relationships are resulting in the breaking of family systems because it has been legalised. This has badly affected society, children, and our culture,” she said.

Dahia felt that women were the “worst affected” due to live-in relationships, as their husbands and brothers would “start living with a woman of their choice by neglecting them.”