Haryana khaps have been on a roll ever since the growing hue and cry over the increasing incidences of crimes against women in the state. Haryana khaps have been on a roll ever since the growing hue and cry over the increasing incidences of crimes against women in the state.

Rapes are not caused by patriarchal notions of masculinity. Nor is the objectification of women as property or as symbols of honour the reason why rapes happen. Then why the growing incidence of this horrific crime?A Haryana Khap leader has come up with his own novel explanation, where he lays the blame squarely on..."Chowmein"."To my understanding, consumption of fast food contributes to such incidents. Chowmein leads to hormonal imbalance evoking an urge to indulge in such acts," Jitender Chhatar, a resident of Jind's Chhatar village and khap panchayat leader, was quoted as saying to a media website."You also know the impact of chowmein, which is a spicy food, on our body. Hence, our elders also advised to consume light and nutritious food," said Chhatar expounding on his theory. The Khap leader also said that cultural changes, growing obscenity in movies, explicit music and the fast food trend is eroding cultural values.And the humble chowmein was not the only object of his ire. According to Chhatar, burgers and pizzas are equally culpable in causing rapes. The rationale being that if people adopt a simple lifestyle, it will consequently bring down the number of rape cases in the state and country.Haryana khaps have been on a roll ever since the growing hue and cry over the increasing incidences of crimes against women in the state. Recently, another bunch of Khap panchayats had recommended lowering the marriagable age of girls to 15-16 years to prevent rapes.