Butchers of Sopore and Birmingham

Nine years of calm before icy storm

Kashmir turns crimson with blood of Pandits

AN UN-ISLAMIC KIDNAPPING AND CHAOS IN THE VALLEY

The illusion of azaadi and Kashmir’s historic deception

How Pak's terror policy evolved in Kashmir

Birth of social media jihadists, death of Article-370

Operation Sindoor: When Indian missiles rained on Pak terror parade

<div class='ite_mg_banner ads__container'><div class='it_mg_bnrBox'><div class='ite_bnr_cont'><div class='ite_cont_dtl'> <h4>Mood of the Nation Offer:  Use promo code <span class='bold_text'> MOTN2026 </span> to get<span class='bold_text'> ₹500 off</span> on all Print + Digital subscriptions</h4><a href='https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsubscriptions.intoday.in%2Findiatoday%3Futm_source%3Dtop-web-banner ' class='ite_subscribe_btn origin_conscent_url' target='_blank'>SUBSCRIBE</a></div></div></div></div>

US Election coverage

India

World

NewsMo

Fact Check

Programmes

Match Schedule

Teams

Player Stats

Match Report

LIVE SCORES

<div class="itg-mosimage"><amp-img src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Fsites%2Fmedia2%2Findiatoday%2Fimages%2Fstories%2F2011May%2Fjajjar_043011083502.jpg" alt="" height="425" width="650" class="" layout="responsive"></amp-img>Ajit Singh (right) with friends in Jhajjar<p>At 774 girls per 1,000 boys, Jhajjar district in Haryana has the country's worst sex ratio in the 0-6 age group. Two of its villages-Behrana and Dhimana-have incredibly low sex ratios of 378 and 444 respectively. In the same age group, Haryana has over four lakh fewer girls than boys-4,07,370 to be precise. The gap was 3.31 lakh in the last census. Over all, the state has 1.35 crore men, compared to 1.18 crore women. A difference of 17.57 lakh. In 2001, the figure was 15.83 lakh.</p><p>The reasons are obvious. The assumption is that girls are a burden and it's coupled with burgeoning ultrasound centres-1,174 now-mostly functioning clandestinely. "You can get a woman for Rs 30,000 any day while a well-bred buffalo costs Rs 70,000," says Ajit Singh, 45, a bank employee. He gets approval from four other friends taking turns at smoking the hookah at a chaupal. "In fact, getting a girl could cost you less but you have to spend a lot on fares travelling to far off places such as Assam," adds Ranbir Yadav, 42, a local landlord.</p><p>Medically terminating an unwanted pregnancy costs between Rs 1,000 and Rs 20,000 and the mushrooming of non-registered centres has only fuelled the menace of female foeticide. Not surprising in a land where the saying goes: "<em>Chora mare nirbhag ka, chori mare bhagwaan ki </em>(son of a doomed dies, daughter of a blessed dies)."</p><div class="itg-mosimage"><amp-img src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Fsites%2Fmedia2%2Findiatoday%2Fimages%2Fstories%2F2011May%2Fjajjar1_043011083502.gif" alt="" height="425" width="650" class="" layout="responsive"></amp-img></div></p><p>What's shocking is that women are often responsible for continuing this ghastly practice. "Believe me, women are mostly responsible for it," says Jaipal Singh, 42, a former soldier and now a farmer in Behrana, one of the 6,759 villages in Haryana. "Nurses or auxiliary nurses and midwives (ANM) get in touch with pregnant women and take them for detection and then termination of pregnancy. We men are generally kept in the loop but don't care to know where it happens and how. Of course, they have our consent." Behrana has a population of nearly 8,000 and is dominated by Jats. In every neighbourhood here, one will find a serving or a retired soldier. The contempt for daughters is universal.</p><p>"Don't blame us," says Chand Ram, a Behrana octogenarian and an ex-soldier. "Blame the system. Even parents of MBAs or post-graduate girls with jobs have to give away a luxury car as dowry. What's the point in having girls? We don't need girls." Argues Umed Singh, 73, a farmer, "If we hate daughters, it's not without reason. What do you do with them? You send them out for education and they only bring a bad name to the family."</p><p>Strange in a state where several women have brought national glory. Haryana produced astronaut Kalpana Chawla. Miss India World Kanishtha Dhankar, 22, comes from Jhajjar. Though Mumbai is her birthplace, she has her roots in Kasni village and her father Raj Singh Dhankar, a commodore in the Indian Navy, often visits the village with his family. "It's an extremely sad state of affairs in Haryana that never gave women the status they deserved. Women can actually do much better than men. It's a cause of concern for all but people like you and me do nothing about it. We need to educate them," says Kanishtha Dhankar. Only last year, Haryana's girls had done the state proud by winning laurels at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi and then the Asian Games in Guangzhou.</p><div class="itemcenter"><amp-iframe height="62" title="" width="320" sandbox="allow-forms allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-top-navigation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation" allowfullscreen src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Fsites%2Findiatoday%2Fbanner%2Fpreferred-source-new.html%3Fv%3D1.014%5Cu0026native%3D1" class="mrBt15 preferred-source-banner"> </amp-iframe></div></p><p>Absurd logic abounds in the region to justify the decreasing female population. In Dhimana, which has nearly 190 households, residents refuse to believe that foeticide is behind the skewed sex ratio. "It's God's gift that most of the children born in this village are boys," claims Dhimana village sarpanch Om Parkash, 70, a bachelor. Varinder Kumar Narula, 67, headmaster of Sunrise High School, offers another reason: "It has to do with diet. People eat well here and so give birth to boys."</p><div class="itg-mosimage"><amp-img src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Fsites%2Fmedia2%2Findiatoday%2Fimages%2Fstories%2F2011May%2Fkanishtha_043011083502.jpg" alt="" height="425" width="650" class="" layout="responsive"></amp-img>Kanishtha Dhankar Miss India World 2011</div></p><p>The state officials though make a valid point. "The ultrasound centres are the single largest factor behind the skewed sex ratio," says Director General (Health Services) Narbir Singh. "We do our best but the problem is that most of these illegal activities take place in unregistered ultrasound centres that operate with small devices, making it difficult for us to catch them. But unless people have the will, the problem cannot be rooted out."</p><p>The will to tackle the problem doesn't seem to be there. "In 90 per cent of the cases where a couple is going for a second child, they opt for a sex-detection test," says Narinder Popli, 43, a Jhajjar businessman.</p><p>It was long believed that things would change with literacy. The latest census has deflated that theory as well. Jhajjar has a literacy rate of over 80 per cent. Mewat, with the lowest literacy rate of 56.1 per cent and considered the most backward district in the state, has Haryana's highest sex ratio at 906 females to 1,000 males.</p><p>"Literacy and modernisation have worsened matters. People are aware of abortion as well as sex determination options now and it has become much more acceptable now in society," says Ranbir Singh, consultant with Nilokheri-based Haryana Institute of Rural Development. "In places such as Jhajjar, land prices are very high and people don't want their daughters to get a share of property that they are legally entitled to."</p><p>The skewed sex ratio has had a social impact. It's causing a huge bride shortage. Theoretically, it should have checked dowry but a large number of those who get married demand hefty dowry. At many places, barter marriages are taking place; people marry their daughters and in return get a bride for their sons. Those who cannot get brides locally are buying them from Assam, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar and other poor states. "I know we won't get married and it's very depressing," says Manoj Kumar, 21. "We keep talking about it. But you need a job to get a wife. We don't see either of the two happening," adds Mandeep Ahlawat, 19.</p><p>The bias against girls, rooted in short-term economic considerations, is slowly but surely leaving behind long-term scars that Haryana will find difficult to heal. A lot of its men may just be forced to stay single with brides hard to come by.</p><div id="tab-link-wrapper-plugin"><div class="authors__container"><div class="authors__by"><div class="authlable">Published By: </div><div class="authdetaisl">AtMigration </div></div><div class="published__on"><div class="authlable">Published On: </div><div class="authdetaisl">Apr 30, 2011</div></div></div><div class="sendros">--- ENDS ---</div></div></div>

society-and-the-arts

Society & The Arts

<div class="itg-mosimage"><div class="itgimage"><img  title="Ajit Singh (right) with friends in Jhajjar"  class="" alt="Ajit Singh (right) with friends in Jhajjar" src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Fsites%2Fmedia2%2Findiatoday%2Fimages%2Fstories%2F2011May%2Fjajjar_043011083502.jpg" loading="lazy" /></div>Ajit Singh (right) with friends in Jhajjar<p>At 774 girls per 1,000 boys, Jhajjar district in Haryana has the country's worst sex ratio in the 0-6 age group. Two of its villages-Behrana and Dhimana-have incredibly low sex ratios of 378 and 444 respectively. In the same age group, Haryana has over four lakh fewer girls than boys-4,07,370 to be precise. The gap was 3.31 lakh in the last census. Over all, the state has 1.35 crore men, compared to 1.18 crore women. A difference of 17.57 lakh. In 2001, the figure was 15.83 lakh.</p><p>The reasons are obvious. The assumption is that girls are a burden and it's coupled with burgeoning ultrasound centres-1,174 now-mostly functioning clandestinely. "You can get a woman for Rs 30,000 any day while a well-bred buffalo costs Rs 70,000," says Ajit Singh, 45, a bank employee. He gets approval from four other friends taking turns at smoking the hookah at a chaupal. "In fact, getting a girl could cost you less but you have to spend a lot on fares travelling to far off places such as Assam," adds Ranbir Yadav, 42, a local landlord.</p><p>Medically terminating an unwanted pregnancy costs between Rs 1,000 and Rs 20,000 and the mushrooming of non-registered centres has only fuelled the menace of female foeticide. Not surprising in a land where the saying goes: "<em>Chora mare nirbhag ka, chori mare bhagwaan ki </em>(son of a doomed dies, daughter of a blessed dies)."</p><div class="itg-mosimage"><div class="itgimage"><img  title=""  class="" alt="" src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Fsites%2Fmedia2%2Findiatoday%2Fimages%2Fstories%2F2011May%2Fjajjar1_043011083502.gif" loading="lazy" /></div></div></p><p>What's shocking is that women are often responsible for continuing this ghastly practice. "Believe me, women are mostly responsible for it," says Jaipal Singh, 42, a former soldier and now a farmer in Behrana, one of the 6,759 villages in Haryana. "Nurses or auxiliary nurses and midwives (ANM) get in touch with pregnant women and take them for detection and then termination of pregnancy. We men are generally kept in the loop but don't care to know where it happens and how. Of course, they have our consent." Behrana has a population of nearly 8,000 and is dominated by Jats. In every neighbourhood here, one will find a serving or a retired soldier. The contempt for daughters is universal.</p><p>"Don't blame us," says Chand Ram, a Behrana octogenarian and an ex-soldier. "Blame the system. Even parents of MBAs or post-graduate girls with jobs have to give away a luxury car as dowry. What's the point in having girls? We don't need girls." Argues Umed Singh, 73, a farmer, "If we hate daughters, it's not without reason. What do you do with them? You send them out for education and they only bring a bad name to the family."</p><p>Strange in a state where several women have brought national glory. Haryana produced astronaut Kalpana Chawla. Miss India World Kanishtha Dhankar, 22, comes from Jhajjar. Though Mumbai is her birthplace, she has her roots in Kasni village and her father Raj Singh Dhankar, a commodore in the Indian Navy, often visits the village with his family. "It's an extremely sad state of affairs in Haryana that never gave women the status they deserved. Women can actually do much better than men. It's a cause of concern for all but people like you and me do nothing about it. We need to educate them," says Kanishtha Dhankar. Only last year, Haryana's girls had done the state proud by winning laurels at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi and then the Asian Games in Guangzhou.</p><div class="itemcenter"><iframe scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="62" awidth="320" aheight="62" amplayout="fixed" src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Fsites%2Findiatoday%2Fbanner%2Fpreferred-source-new.html%3Fv%3D1.014" class="preferred-source-banner" loading="lazy"></iframe></div><style>.preferred-source-banner{  margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom:10px;}</style></p><p>Absurd logic abounds in the region to justify the decreasing female population. In Dhimana, which has nearly 190 households, residents refuse to believe that foeticide is behind the skewed sex ratio. "It's God's gift that most of the children born in this village are boys," claims Dhimana village sarpanch Om Parkash, 70, a bachelor. Varinder Kumar Narula, 67, headmaster of Sunrise High School, offers another reason: "It has to do with diet. People eat well here and so give birth to boys."</p><div class="itg-mosimage"><div class="itgimage"><img  title="Kanishtha Dhankar Miss India World 2011"  class="" alt="Kanishtha Dhankar Miss India World 2011" src="https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.dev?url=https%3A%2F%2Fakm-img-a-in.tosshub.com%2Fsites%2Fmedia2%2Findiatoday%2Fimages%2Fstories%2F2011May%2Fkanishtha_043011083502.jpg" loading="lazy" /></div>Kanishtha Dhankar Miss India World 2011</div></p><p>The state officials though make a valid point. "The ultrasound centres are the single largest factor behind the skewed sex ratio," says Director General (Health Services) Narbir Singh. "We do our best but the problem is that most of these illegal activities take place in unregistered ultrasound centres that operate with small devices, making it difficult for us to catch them. But unless people have the will, the problem cannot be rooted out."</p><p>The will to tackle the problem doesn't seem to be there. "In 90 per cent of the cases where a couple is going for a second child, they opt for a sex-detection test," says Narinder Popli, 43, a Jhajjar businessman.</p><p>It was long believed that things would change with literacy. The latest census has deflated that theory as well. Jhajjar has a literacy rate of over 80 per cent. Mewat, with the lowest literacy rate of 56.1 per cent and considered the most backward district in the state, has Haryana's highest sex ratio at 906 females to 1,000 males.</p><p>"Literacy and modernisation have worsened matters. People are aware of abortion as well as sex determination options now and it has become much more acceptable now in society," says Ranbir Singh, consultant with Nilokheri-based Haryana Institute of Rural Development. "In places such as Jhajjar, land prices are very high and people don't want their daughters to get a share of property that they are legally entitled to."</p><p>The skewed sex ratio has had a social impact. It's causing a huge bride shortage. Theoretically, it should have checked dowry but a large number of those who get married demand hefty dowry. At many places, barter marriages are taking place; people marry their daughters and in return get a bride for their sons. Those who cannot get brides locally are buying them from Assam, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar and other poor states. "I know we won't get married and it's very depressing," says Manoj Kumar, 21. "We keep talking about it. But you need a job to get a wife. We don't see either of the two happening," adds Mandeep Ahlawat, 19.</p><p>The bias against girls, rooted in short-term economic considerations, is slowly but surely leaving behind long-term scars that Haryana will find difficult to heal. A lot of its men may just be forced to stay single with brides hard to come by.</p><div id="tab-link-wrapper-plugin"><div class="authors__container"><div class="authors__by"><div class="authlable">Published By: </div><div class="authdetaisl">AtMigration </div></div><div class="published__on"><div class="authlable">Published On: </div><div class="authdetaisl">Apr 30, 2011</div></div></div><div class="sendros">--- ENDS ---</div></div></div>

A preference for boys and illegal ultrasound centres fuel female foeticide, leading to an ever-widening gap between the sexes in Haryana.

India Today

"A woman costs Rs 30,000, a buffalo Rs 70,000" - India Today

Haryana's bias against girls keeps its sex ratio skewed

"A woman costs Rs 30,000, a buffalo Rs 70,000"

Just hours after NBC host Savannah Guthrie posted a tearful video appeal on Instagram, President Donald Trump said he had directed federal agencies to assist in the search for Nancy Guthrie, who was last seen on January 31 and is believed to have been abducted from her home in Tucson, Arizona.

Savannah Guthrie appeals for abducted mother's return

Bring her home: US news anchor pleads for abducted mother's return, Trump acts

T20 World Cup: Aakash Chopra said that Ishan Kishan cemented his place for the opener’s slot with his 53-run knock against South Africa in the warm-up match on Wednesday in Navi Mumbai.

Ishan Kishan

Has Samson lost opener’s battle to Kishan? Aakash Chopra gives his verdict

After a gas tanker carrying propylene overturned in Khandala Ghat, traffic stayed frozen for nearly 32 hours, with queues stretching 20–22 km and hundreds of commuters stranded overnight on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway.

Mumbai-Pune Expressway opens after 32-hour shutdown, cops wake stranded drivers

Rashmika Mandanna is set to take a break from filming AA22xA6, directed by Atlee and starring Allu Arjun, as she prepares for her reported wedding with Vijay Deverakonda later this month in Udaipur. An official announcement is expected.

Rashmika Mandanna, Allu Arjun and Vijay Deverakonda

Rashmika Mandanna Allu Arjun

Rashmika to pause AA22xA6 filming for wedding with Vijay Deverakonda: Report

Actor Govinda's wife Ssunita Ahuja has signed her first Bollywood film with Balaji Motion Pictures. The yet-untitled film will mark Ssunita’s official debut as an actor, with sources confirming that she will be seen in a pivotal role.

Govinda's manager reacts to actor's divorce rumours with Sunita Ahuja

Govinda, Sunita Ahuja

Exclusive: Govinda’s wife Ssunita Ahuja signs her first Bollywood film

Play Time!

PM Modi

Donald Trump

Mamata Banerjee

Lok Sabha

IND vs AFG LIVE Score

Parliament Budget Session

Rahul Gandhi

WPL 2026

Dhurandhar 2

T20 World Cup

Border 2

Here's the drone visuals of the massive traffic jam on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, which has hit vehicular movement for over 24 hours after a gas tanker overturned in the hilly Khandala Ghat section.

drone

Watch: Drone visuals of massive 22-km traffic jam on Mumbai-Pune Expressway

Addressing the Lok Sabha, Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said the government has successfully safeguarded sensitive sectors in US trade deal.  

Piyush Goyal: No Compromise On Farmers Interests In US Deal

India protected agriculture, dairy interests in US trade deal: Piyush Goyal

In this Special Report, India Today’s Mir Fareed provides exclusive details on a major counter-terror operation in Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur. Security forces, including the Army, Jammu Kashmir Police, and CRPF, successfully eliminated two Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists who were hiding in a natural cave within a dense forested terrain. Mir Fareed noted, ‘Finally, their luck ran out as security forces used IEDs to blow up the entrance. And with that, they were eliminated.’ One of the deceased has been identified as a top commander, Abu Mavia. The operation involved sophisticated drone surveillance and sharpshooters to pin down the terrorists who had previously evaded capture. The report highlights the evolving tactics of security agencies in tackling infiltrators using the treacherous forest reaches of Jammu. The area is currently being sanitised as per standard operating procedures following the recovery of weapons.

Mir Fareed: Two Jaish Terrorists Killed In Udhampur Cave

2 Jaish terrorists killed as security forces blow up cave in Jammu and Kashmir

This news report covers the intense political confrontation in Parliament where Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi reportedly called BJP leader Ravneet Singh Bittu a 'traitor'. The incident occurred near the Makar Dwar as suspended MPs were protesting. The transcript highlights that Bittu, once a close associate of Gandhi, was heckled by Congress members following the remark. Additionally, the bulletin features a statement regarding the suspension of eight Congress MPs for the remainder of the session due to 'unruly behaviour'. Dilip Saikia, who was in the chair during the ruckus, stated that the members violated parliamentary decorum and rules. The report notes that the Congress party views those who defect to the other side through a specific 'prism', leading to the sharp exchange. The drama unfolded as Priyanka Gandhi also met with the suspended legislators to discuss the adjournment of the House.

Rahul Gandhi Calls Bittu a Traitor in Parliament

Rahul Gandhi Calls Ravneet Singh Bittu a 'Traitor' outside Parliament

On this Special Report, the focus is on a tragic incident in Ghaziabad where three minor sisters, aged 12, 14, and 16, allegedly died by suicide by jumping from the ninth floor of a high-rise building. ACP Atul Kumar stated, 'Three girls jumped from the balcony of the ninth floor of flat number 907 in Bharat City and were declared dead upon arrival at the hospital.' A suicide note recovered from the scene read, 'Mummy Papa, we are sorry.' Police have seized mobile phones and gadgets for forensic examination to determine if specific gaming tasks triggered the extreme step. The incident occurred around 2:30 AM, and authorities are recording statements from family and neighbors to uncover the exact cause behind this triple suicide horror.

Atul Kumar: 3 Sisters Jump To Death In Ghaziabad

Download App

Mood of the Nation Offer: Use promo code MOTN2026 to get ₹500 off on all Print + Digital subscriptions

Haryana's bias against girls keeps its sex ratio skewed

A preference for boys and illegal ultrasound centres fuel female foeticide, leading to an ever-widening gap between the sexes in Haryana.

PUBLICATIONS

TELEVISION

EVENTS

RADIO

GAMING

USEFUL LINKS

PRINTING

WELFARE

DISTRIBUTION

SYNDICATIONS

WEBSITES

EDUCATION