Quest For Kshatriyahood

Western UP Jats validate future alliances with ‘close’ castes. Assumed valour is the charm, but there are catches.

- Pragya Singh

History is a field in which not every fact can be documented at one place. Most historical facts remain unproven unless cited by multiple sources. The fact that different versions of historical events can exist is one that Jats of western Uttar Pradesh recently attempted to turn to their advantage. At a meeting on July 27, a group of Jat khaps decl­ared that they would henceforth marry amongst other castes. Covered in the Jat’s declaration are only those castes whose members they regard contiguous or “close” to themselves, namely the Gujjars, Rajputs and Yadavs.

This meeting preceded a series of khap gatherings on the subject of marriage. On April 4, as many as 21 Jat figureheads circulated a questionnaire with a query inviting a “yes or no” answer: “Should Jats marry Rajputs, Guj­jars and Yadavs?” Acco­rding to those present, the overwhelming resp­onse was “yes”.

While it is no surprise that Jats are seeking marriage beyond their fold—the community has infamously low sex ratios—there are lurking suspicions about their motives. First, that Jats are open to inter-­caste marriage just eno­ugh to let non-Jat women in, but not let Jat women squeeze out. “Jats are bringing wives from Bengal, Assam; even Nepal and Bangladesh,” says Rajvir Mundet, who coordinated the meetings on behalf of the Sarv Khap, or collective khap. “At least 20 per cent males cannot find a Jat to marry—for shortage of women.”