Khaps demand 10% quota in gazetted officers’ posts

CHANDIGARH: Khap panchayats on Saturday demanded that the present 4% quota in gazetted officers' posts for five communities, including jats, in Haryana should be raised to 10%.

The khap panchayats, at a meeting in Sonipat, said the state government in 2012 had announced 10% reservation to five castes — Jats, Bishnois, Jat Sikhs, Rors and Tyagis in special backward class category.

President of Sonipat 360, a khap of 360 villages in Sonipat district, Rajender Khatri presided over the panchayat. "Khap leaders have agreed to fight for the appropriate share in the reservation for jats, including 10% quota in gazetted posts," he said.

President of Akhil Bhartiya Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti, Yashpal Malik, said: "The government gave 10% quota in the posts of class 3 and class 4 categories but gave only 4% reservation for class 1 and 2 jobs. We want equal quota in all categories under reservation."

Alleging a spurt in fake rape complaints, the khap leaders also decided to hold a panchayat in July. Sube Singh Samain, spokesperson of Sarv Jat Khap Panchayat, said that a meeting of khap leaders would be called soon to finalize the date and venue of the panchayat.

"I also raised the issue of fake complaints of rape cases in the khap meeting held at Sonipat but after the meeting we felt that a special panchayat should be called to discuss it," Samain said.

Referring to a recent gang-rape case in Jind district, Samain said the dramatic sequence of incidents and the involvement of three different vehicles raised questions over the authenticity of the allegations.

Recently, a woman in Jind district had claimed that she was raped in three moving vehicles after she took lifts in one vehicle after the other to go to her parental village.

"Many times, we feel that the strict provisions of law are being misused to implicate innocent people in rape and gang-rape cases. There should be provisions for longer jail term for the complainant in fake rape allegations. The six-month jail for filing a fake complaint should be increased," the khap leader said.

President of Dhankhar khap Om Prakash Dhankhar said, "We don't say that each case of rape is false but such incidents should be probed very carefully as sometime these are used to implicate someone due to enmity or for some ulterior motive."

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india//articleshow/20838660.cms