Meet the guardians of love who protect young couples from Khap panchayats

A group of ageing businessmen and journalists are helping rescue young couples from the clutches of honour killings, Khap panchayats and communal tensions, writes Sneha Bhattacharjee

Sometime in the winter of 2010, the family of a girl charged a boy with raping her. In her statements to the police, doctors as well as the court, the girl said she was major and in a consensual relationship with the boy. Shocked and surprised at the turn of events, a group of men reached the sessions court where they found the couple’s lawyer had not reached in time. Seeking permission from the judge, one of the men decided to argue the case. By the time, the man finished his argument, the lawyer had reached, and all the formalities