Ramdev backs Khap panchayats' demand

Backing the Khap panchayats' demand for a ban on marriages in same sub-caste, yoga guru Ramdev on Monday asked the caste councils, who are seeking amendments to the Hindu Marriage Act, to take up the issue in a non-violent manner and within the purview of Constitution.

Ramdev claimed that it had been scientifically proved that marrying in blood relations or in the same 'gotra' increases the health risk for offspring.

"I have nothing to say except what is accepted by society and has a scientific base-- that marriages should not take place among people who have blood relations or are of the same gotra," he said in reply to a query at a press conference.

Opposition to such marriages should be expressed in a non-violent manner, Ramdev said. "If Khap Panchayats press their demands in a non-violent way and constitutionally, then our legal experts should also think over their demands including on making necessary amendments to the Hindu Marriage Act," he said. The self-styled caste councils have drawn flak for their diktats against couples marrying in the same sub-caste.