The “Khap” panchayat or “Caste Court ‘the all powerful decision making body is under attack and very intriguingly by its own victims.

The family of Sonam and Naveen opposed their relationship because they both belonged to the same village and sub-caste, the family knew that Khap will never agree to this relation so they thought it better to restrict their own daughter, Sonam.

But Sonam was in no mood to listen to the dicktats of Khap, after all it was her life and who are the villagers to decide her future. So she planned to remove the obstacles which were in her way, first her own family. She gave them food laced with sedatives and than called her lover.

While the family members were sleeping drug induced deep sleep she strangled them her father(40),her grandmother (62) her mother (38), her brother (16) and she did not spare even her cousins (8) and (10). Than to cover up her sordid crime she took a small dose of sedative herself so as not point the needle of suspicion to herself. She was found unconscious in the bathroom..

But when police interrogated her she spilled the beans and worse without any remorse. What has led to such hardening of human emotions that a loving daughter and a loving sister was forced to become a murderess.

Obviously love is one factor but love does not teach one to become a killer, it was the fear, the helplessness which forced her to take such extreme step. She knew that her family will never ever go against the Khap’s decisions. She also knew that many lovers had been murdered or sent away from their parental homes to locate in some entirely new location. She was not ready to do so hence her unpardonable act.

But is she the only one guilty? The elders of the village and other Khap members are baying for her blood, but isn’t their inflexible attitude responsible for such steps of retaliation?

It seems that now it the right time for retrospection.It is time to become a little flexible and leave rigidity otherwise this one act of defiance could lead to many more.As always it will be the innocent who will suffer.