A Kanpur couple has alleged their 10-year-old son died because roadblocks set up for the Prime Minister’s visit to the city prevented the family from taking the child to hospital in time. Aman Khan, a Class 2 student, suffered head injuries on July 3 after the iron gate at his home in Shyam Nagar fell on him. His Parents tried to take him to a hospital but were allegedly delayed because...

After terrorising the youth not to cross the obscurantist social boundaries on marriage drawn through their deadly diktats, the khaps are now having a grand congregation at Meham Chaubisi Chabutara in Rohtak on July 17. The point of discussion -- seeking lowering of marriage age for a girl from a legally prescribed 18 years to 15 years and for a man from 21 years to 17 years. The mahapanchayat will...

Jat Mahasabha wants marriageable age of girls and boys to be lowered to 15 and 17 respectively so that couples don't elope and marry against the wishes of their families. According to Om Prakash Mann, Haryana president of All India Jat Mahasabha, the demand will be discussed at a sarv khap panchayat on July 17 at Meham Chaubisi Chabutara in Rohtak. The demand was raised at a meeting of khap...

The government has written to all states to ensure better sanitation facilities, including separate toilets and free napkins, to check the increasing dropout rate among girls once they reach puberty. In a letter to all state secretaries, the rural development ministry has asked state governments to scale up the School Sanitation and Health Hygiene Education (SSHHE) programme under the ministry’s total sanitation campaign. Written by J.S. Mathur, joint secretary, department of drinking...

Honour killings, rampant in Haryana, have led to a bizzare trend in rural areas: villagers are increasingly marrying off their minor daughters, fearing love affairs may force the girls to run away from homes. According to state women and child development department, about 100 child marriages were stopped in the last one year. Last month, Poonam (16) of Sirsa district was "saved" by a team of district police child marriage...