Rape comment puts Chautala on defensive

After supporting the idea of khap panchayats to reduce the marriageable age of boys and girls to 16 years to curb incidents of sexual assault, former Haryana chief minister Om Parkash Chautala took a u-turn on Thursday, denying that he or his party supported the idea.

‘If some khap or individual has made suggestion about girl’s marriageable age, then it is up to the government to accept it or not. Anybody can give suggestion ... but my support to it [khap panchayat suggestion] has been attacked.

‘But I want to say that we neither supported it nor we made such a demand or suggestion,’ Chautala said.

The INLD leader had yesterday backed the suggestion of khap panchayats that marriageable age of boys and girls should be reduced to 16 years to prevent rapes. .

‘I had told media persons yesterday that during Mughal-era, girls were picked up and they were raped. In order to avoid such incidents and embarrassment to families, girls’ parents used to get their daughters married at an early age,’ he said.  


RETURN TO DARK AGES

• Chautala urges the governor to call a special session of the Haryana assembly to discuss the rising crime in the state against women
• Even in the Mughal era people would marry off their daughters early to save them from atrocities of the Mughals, says Chautala