CRIME PATTERN AND COMMUNITY
LAW
According to a saying in Punjab, 'money, wife and land' are at the root of
all quarrels. One almost invariably finds these, severally or jointly, inspiring
all quarrels, thefts and murders. The Jats of the Punjab is known for being
possessive. He would much sooner risk his life than let anyone touch one hair of
his wife. Distribution of land is another vital factor which has often created
enmity even among real brothers. At the back of all this, is the fact that the
Punjabi's are very headstrong and sensitive. If anyone hurts their self-respect,
they are ready to kill or get killed. There are vendettas inherited from
ancestors. In these ancestral feuds, murders and abduction are sometimes
committed out of sheer desire for revenge. One generation avenges a murder
committed by the earlier one, the next generation avenges that murder, and the vicious
circle tends to go on. Ancestral feuds are sometimes found between two pattis of
the same village. Some decades ago these formed a normal crime pattern in the
village life of the Punjab.
Another incentive to crime till recently was the fact that the
Banias or
money-lenders, virtually squeezed life out of the simple villagers. Finding the
Jat in a tight corner, the Bania loaned him a small sum of money at an
exorbitant rate of interest. For the rest of his life the Jat and then his
succeeding generations remained caught in his clutches, for the compound
interest went on multiplying. As a consequence,
the Jat and the money-lender were forever involved in litigation. The situation
has now improved a little. The Jat is no longer such a simpleton and the new
social order which is emerging is far more friendly to him.
There are some leading elders in every village who are honoured and respected
by all. Such an elder is called a Panch. The institution of the Panch is very
old, and for centuries it has been sorting out many big and small frictions of
the village, including disputes over boundaries, right of way etc. After
independence, the Government, realising the importance of Panchayats in
villages, gave them constitutional recognition by passing the Panchayat
Act.
In every village there is some common land called
Shamlat. No one can assert
an independent claim to it. It is open to common use. There is also a village
platform (daira) where the old as well as the young hold their meetings. Folk
singers, minstrels and dancers also use these platforms to entertain the
village-folk. Punjabis being religiously inclined contribute liberally towards the upkeep
of Gurdwaras and Mandirs. These community buildings are built out of the joint
efforts of villagers. When a man in a Village dies, his sons inherit his property. If they want
they can divide it among themselves or if they prefer they can continue to
live as a joint family.
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