Khaps are not always wrong: Haryana CM Khattar

He asserted that the Khap Panchayats are a 'useful instrument' of society

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday backed his earlier remark on Khap Panchayats, saying that it would not be appropriate to perceive that they always work in a wrong manner.

"I have always maintained that if the Khap Panchayats do something wrong, we will check it. But the credit of the Khaps in the society is still maintained and it not right to say that Khaps always work in a wrong manner," Khattar told reporters here.

The Haryana Chief Minister had reportedly earlier voiced his support for the Khap Panchayats, saying they have strength of their own and there was no proposal to ban them.

Khattar asserted that the Khap Panchayats are a "useful instrument" of society and added that they carry out social reforms.

The Chief Minister stated that one or two mistakes don't make them wrong as a whole.

Responding on the controversies over Khap Panchayats' diktats, Khattar said, "One or two mistakes or incidents don't make Khap Panchayats wrong as a whole. Even human beings and institutions commit mistakes. The Khap Panchayats have a strength of their own."

Khap Panchayats mostly operating in parts of northern India have very often made headlines for their alleged encouragement to "honour killings and bizarre diktats".