Punjab village bans night weddings

CHANDIGARH: It's been a couple of months since khaps in Haryana banned performances by DJs in marriages.
Now, a mahapanchayat of Punjabis in Dhuna, Fatehabad, has decided to bar marriage celebrations at night to discourage alcohol consumption during weddings. This ban, however, is not new.
It was introduced 31 years ago, but in the last couple of years, the community - particularly the youth - was not adhering to it.
A mahapanchayat member, Dalip Singh Makkad said, "In recent years, there have been several cases of alcohol abuse, sexual harassment and rowdy behaviour during marriage celebrations at night. Hence, we have decided to reinforce the ban on evening and night weddings."
This means that about 25,000 people belonging to the mahapanchyat will have to follow it. The decision was taken on Sunday at Punjabi Community Centre in Kher Chowk, Fatehabad, where about 250 villagers from more than 20 villages had gathered. Earlier, the mahapanchayat formed a committee comprising senior citizens from different villages and sought their opinion.
Convener of the panchayat Sudhir Dhawan said, "Whosoever is found violating this ban will have to appear before the mahapanchayat and will be penalised."
Madan Lal Khurana, a trader and one of the 'panches' said, "We have also asked the senior citizens of the villages to keep a strict vigil on people who they suspect might violate the ban."