A Khap Panchayat held at Dabouda Khurd village on Wednesday demanded CBI probe into the Muzaffarnagar riots.
The Panchayat that lasted over five hours also decided to organise a decisive meeting of all Khaps of north India at Fugana village in Uttar Pradesh on March 1 to chalk out strategy for mounting pressure on the UP Government for withdrawal of the cases registered against Jats during the riots. Addressing the Khap representatives on the occasion, Om Prakash Malik, a senior leader of UP’s Malik Khap, said innocent people of Jat community had been falsely booked under heinous crime just to gain political mileage while they were even not present at the spot when the crime perpetrated.
“In the given situation, we have no other option left but to get the support of Khaps for justice hence CBI probe into the riot is required to protect the innocent people from devastation,” said Malik, adding that Jats were being victimised in Muzaffarnagar without any fault. Earlier, the Mahapanchayat presided over by Dada Baljeet Singh Malik, chief of Gathwala Khap, was attended by a large numbers of representatives of Khap Panchayats active in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi and Haryana.
"Besides Muzaffarnagar riots, we discussed social issues like honour killing, female foeticide, women participation in khap's functioning and amendment in Hindu Marriage Act and also passed resolutions with regard," said Malik. Addressing the gathering, Om Prakash Dhankhar, chief of Dhankhar Sabha, demanded amendment in Hindu Marriage Act 1954 to legally prevent the weddings within a village and gotra. He placed a resolution with regard before the mahapanchayat that passed it unanimously. “The existing provision in Hindu Marriage Act does not forbid the marriages between man and woman of same village and same gotra,” said Dhankhar.