MEERUT: Bhupender Baliyan , a resident of Muzaffarnagar, will now have to wait for another two years to get married. A khap panchayat has ordered that he cannot marry in that time, as punishment for demanding a hefty dowry from a woman’s family, and then refusing to marry her when her family could not pay it.Mamata, his latest bride-to-be who was turned down, was the man’s eighth victim. He had turned down seven women in the past too, and each time, the families of the women incurred losses in making preparations for the wedding. The khap has also ordered that he pay Mamata’s family Rs 81,000 to defray expenses already incurred.The incident took place in Rasulpur village of Muzaffarnagar, where 24-year-old Baliyan’s family fixed his marriage with 20-year-old Mamta Punia of Kasimpur village, for April 24. Baliyan is a jawan in the Army.An engagement ceremony took place on April 3. Mamta’s father Ratan Singh said, “On April 3, the groom demanded a motorcycle, to which we agreed. However, two days later his parents demanded a car along with Rs 5 lakh cash in dowry, which we refused. We tried to go ahead with the wedding as its cancellation would have disgraced us in the community, but the groom’s side refused to budge. Ultimately, the wedding was cancelled. Elders from our village later approached the panchayat for settlement of the issue.”On Thursday, the Baliyan khap headed by its president Naresh Tikait presided over the matter and unanimously passed the verdict against Bhupender.Speaking with TOI, Baliyan said, “During the proceedings, we came to know that Bhupender had rejected seven girls in the past for want of dowry. This verdict should act as a warning to those who indulge in such activities. Dowry is a social evil and needs to be strictly dealt with.”Devender Singh, a village elder in Rasulpur, justified the panchayat’s order. “Bhupender and his family have rejected many girls. Cancellation of eight marriages in just one year meant huge monetary losses to those families, not to speak of the mental agony they had to suffer.”Later, Bhupender’s father, Rambhaj Baliyan, apologized on behalf of his son and paid the Rs 81,000 fine to be given to the family of his latest victim. But the groom will have to wait till April 2017 before he can get married.