During the past few years, marriages within ‘gotra’ (clan) of the Jat community have come into the limelight. Frequently, those couples who have eloped have been brutally murdered by the dictates of the elders—these are known as ‘honor killings’. Many such incidents have occurred in Haryana, Western Uttar Pradesh and the rural belt of Delhi. I was in the Jatland of Jhajjar, a small town around 100 kms from Delhi. Around 80% of the honor killings reported are done in and around Jhajjar. I decided to know more about the place and their rituals and specifically about Khap. Khap Panchayats are basically found in two communities in Northern India, Jats and Gujjars. These communities were considered to be non-elite and basically were indulged in agriculture and herding. There used to be rule of Muslim rulers in area around Haryana and Delhi. So, a committee was developed in Jats community which used to solve local issues. So, several Khaps developed in Haryana for each village an