In this blogpost, Sonal Srivastava, Student, Amity Law School, Lucknow, writes about what is honour killing, its meaning, the possible reasons for honour killing and recent cases.
Introduction
Killing a member of the family to restore the so-called honour of the family but are these killings actually honourable. There is a pertinent question attached to honour killings that by what right does the person ends the life of another to protect the so-called honour of the family and who is supposed to decide that a particular situation has brought dishonour to the family- the society or the family? So let’s have a look at what are honour killings and various instances of the same.
Meaning of Honour Killings
An honour killing is the homicide of a member of a family or social group by other members, due to the belief the victim has brought dishonour upon the family or community. The death of the victim is viewed as a way to restore the reputation and honour of the family.
Situations that are perceived to be dishonourable to family–
The situations that lead to honour killings are the most shocking and inhuman. There is no rationality in the decision of the family or society to kill a particular member of the family. The most common situations that have come to front from the past incidents of honour killing are-
- Falling in love with the person of another caste or religion– One of the most common reason for honour killing is the falling in love with the person of another caste, similar gotra or different religion. Can love be a reason for killing someone? Love is considered to be one of the most sacred feelings which are propagated by all religions and when this same feeling becomes a reason for killing someone, it becomes heinous.
- Dressing in a manner unacceptable to the family or community- What could be the rationality behind this cheap thought. Is the life of a person so futile that it could be snatched away merely for a reason that individual desires to dress of his/ her own choice.
- Engaging in heterosexual or homosexual acts– Girls and women are killed at much higher rates than men in this kind of situations.
These are a few conditions mentioned; the list is endless and people have no reasonability or rationality behind honour killings.
The famous Manoj- Babli Honour Killing case
Manoj and Babli’s families lived in Karoran Village of Kaithal. Manoj was the only earning member of his family. Manoj and Babli fell in love and decided to marry but they were restricted by the members of the village on the ground that they belonged to the same clan and marrying in the same clan is considered to be incest in the village. Manoj and Babli flew from the village and did court marriage and when the news broke out to the people in the village, the leader of the Khap panchayat who was the relative of Babli, murdered both of them in June 2007.
In March 2010 a Karnal district court sentenced the five perpetrators to be executed, the first time an Indian court had done so in an honour killing case. The khap head who ordered but did not take part in the killings received a life sentence, and the driver involved in the abduction a seven-year prison term. According to then Home Minister P. Chidambaram, the UPA-led central government was to propose an amendment to the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in response to the deaths of Manoj and Babli, making honour killings a “distinct offence”.
Few recent events on honour killing
June 1, Bulandshaher: Mother arrested for killing her daughter[1]
Afroz, 20, from Abda village in Bulandshaher was killed by her own mother Rubina after she refused to give up her relationship with a boy. Afroz had been working for the Pulse Polio drive when the incident took place. On a fateful day, Rubina, alias Bano, got into an argument with Afroz regarding her romantic alliance with a boy. The argument led to Rubina slitting Afroz’s throat with a knife. After receiving information in a police control room about murder, police raided Rubina’s house where they found Afroz’s body.
April 10, New Delhi: 20-year-old youth crushed to death for loving a 16-year-old girl[2]
Sagar’s rotting body was recovered by police from an isolated place in Sahibabad, after it was dumped there by the relatives of a minor girl with whom the victim had been having an affair for the past one year. Sagar had been beaten mercilessly by the girl’s relative after her brother-in-law spotted them together. They then confined Sagar for some hours and took him to Sahibabad in their car where they crushed him under the wheels of the car while the girl kept pleading for mercy. All the accused have been arrested.
April 7, Chandigarh: Bodies of couple dumped in suitcases[3]
Bahalgarh police received a call regarding two unclaimed suitcases lying in a park, located on the GT road in Sonipat district. When the suitcases were opened, police recovered the naked bodies of a man and woman dumped separately in the two suitcases. While the woman’s body was intact and she wore glass bangles similar to those of a newlywed bride, the man’s limbs had been chopped and disposed of in the suitcase. The police probing the crime suspected it to be a case of honour killing.
February 15, Lucknow: 16-year-old girl sexually assaulted and murdered[4]
The police are looking into the possibility of honour killing in the murder case of a minor girl in Kotwali area of Gonda district. The fact that the girl’s family did not inform the police about the murder made the police suspicious. The girl, who had left home to relieve herself, was found dead after half an hour. The girl’s body was intact with no injury mark but tests confirmed sexual assault.
February 13, Mathura: Girl burnt to death by mother and brother[5]
Neeraj Kumari’s family was against her relationship with a youth from the same village, Ajay, and fixed her marriage with another person. As complications cropped up for the marriage, the mother and the brother first strangulated Kumari and then set her body on fire. The accused first tried to dissuade the police by saying that the girl had committed suicide. However, the girl’s boyfriend told the police that he suspected the victim was first mercilessly beaten up and then set ablaze.
Conclusion
Honour killing is the most inhuman and irrational crime. Laws cannot do much to prevent it but it can only be prevented when there is a change in the mentality and mindset of the people and that is a difficult thing in a country like India where the caste, religion, gotra, clan, etc. matter more than the life. Laws can only punish the criminal but they cannot prevent the crime to happen, so it is very necessary for people to rise above the clouds of caste, religion, clan, etc. The real honour is in protecting the family members and being liberal and open minded in the approach towards life and not by being stringent in thoughts and attitude.
[1] http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/honour-killing-in-last-4-months-list/1/446177.html
[2] http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/honour-killing-in-last-4-months-list/1/446177.html
[3] http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/honour-killing-in-last-4-months-list/1/446177.html
[4] http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/honour-killing-in-last-4-months-list/1/446177.html
[5] http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/honour-killing-in-last-4-months-list/1/446177.html
