Contentious Marriages, Eloping Couples: Gender, Caste, and Patriarchy in Northern India

This book deals with the widespread phenomenon of contentious marriages and elopements in the north Indian state of Haryana. It focuses on the role of caste panchayats which curbs individual rights in the name of maintaining izzat (honour), bhaichara (brotherhood), biradri (community), and village aika (unity). It also unravels how state agencies abet the workings of the panchayat.