In a time warp

The Haryana administrations reflexes shouldnt be a surprise. After all,what does an old-fashioned dress code matter,when it is a common assumption in the state that a womans life choices are not her own? The sex ratio,among the worst in India,tells its own story of the terrible devaluing of daughters. Khap panchayats,the Jat social structures that once served as forums for dispute resolution,now patrol the bounds of caste and clan,and intimidate families into killing their own if they happen to fall in love with someone within the gotra. These honour killings are rarely punished,because these social structures are electorally useful,and the police and administration are reluctant to act.

What remains baffling to outsiders is how,despite its array of young and apparently progressive political leaders,from Kumari Selja to Deepender Hooda and Naveen Jindal,Haryanas politics and administration continue to operate in a time warp. In fact,some of Haryanas young political leaders had defended these murderous khaps,and demanded that custom and ceremony be respected. They espouse one set of liberal,modern values in Delhi and appear to go along with another reality in their own state. Haryanas problems go deeper than a dress code.

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