The Bhupinder Singh Hooda government in the state has not said anything against the illegal activities of the khap panchayats, given the domination of the Jat community in the state's social and political fabric.

'I have lived in a Haryana village and have closely seen the working of these khap panchayats. Their primary role is to do productive work in the village. In many cases, they have done exemplary work like road construction, protests against drugs, alcoholism and dowry,' said Sukhdev Kundu, a Panjab University student and a former president of the Indian National Students Organisation (INSO), the student wing of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD).

'However, killing someone is an extreme step by khap panchayats and is totally intolerable in any civil society. They should abide by court orders and should not take the law into their own hands under any circumstances,' Kundu told IANS.

Honour killings are not new in Haryana, especially in areas dominated by the Jat community.

In June 2007, the bodies of a young couple, Manoj and Babli, were recovered from a canal in Kaithal district. They were murdered and thrown into the canal by the relatives of the girl for marrying against their wishes.

In Karnal district last year, Jasbir Singh and his companion Sunita, who was six months pregnant, were murdered in their village. The girl's family was opposed to their daughter, a divorcee, living with Jasbir.

The family threw the bodies of the couple outside their house to send a message to other villagers that going against the wishes of the community and the khap panchayat would not be tolerated.

Paramjit Singh Jaswal, chairperson of the Law Department at Panjab University, said: 'Despite vast development, there are certain sections of society that are still living with past traditions and beliefs. If we talk about our laws then they are very clear and obviously support inter-caste marriage.'

'Usually our laws keep changing and I strongly advocate the need to bring positive changes in law with fast changing times and needs,' he said.

(Alkesh Sharma can be contacted at alkesh.s@ians.in)