Dictionary meaning of the honour killing is a murder committed by a male on a female relative considered to have brought dishonour to the family, usually through sexual activity forbidden by religion or tradition. The deliberate pre‐planned murder, usually of a woman, by or at the behest of members of her family motivated by a perception that she has brought shame on the family. The female in the Indian rural society particularly is considered as a thing or asset who is owned by his family,, not a living being. Although mindset is not far changed in urban areas also as most of the towns and cities now expanded on the selective migration of rural people because of jobs, business, educational access or of numerous such reasons. Interestingly, the people moved in cities chosen to live in clusters where the traditional thoughts are prevalent as that of villages. The shifting in the cities only changed the living pattern as facilities of various kind is easily accessible. Even the so called educated people adorning high positions in government or private sector, universities and colleges, trade or business and have tremendous influence on society and have discrete political affiliations, are the socio-political influencers who have great say in the area they reside. Abstractly, it may be said that situation is not much different in urban and rural areas if it is concerned with the honour of family or the society.
Honour killing is a centuries old malaise which is generally termed as custom or tradition is still prevalent in our societies. In several northern Indian states, such as Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana, the western region of Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar, the incidents of honour killing are periodically reported. Religion, caste, community, and traditional attitudes are the most essential factors in an honour killing. Honour killing largely involves girls or women marrying against the parent's wishes, having extramarital, premarital relationships whether consensual or non-consensual, marrying inside the same gotra or outside one's position or marrying a cousin from an alternate position. Honour killing has emerged as a gender based crime, chiefly. Haryana is comparatively a small state in the close vicinity of national capital which is an axis of national politics and seat of central government. Haryana boasts of leap in agriculture and industrial growth and central to all the movements being near to Delhi. Unfortunately, Haryana is poor in social indicators particularly affecting the fair sex. When its growth is mapped on the richness of social development, it looks like a tribal society. The national fame comic poet Jaimini Haryanvi finds glorification in his recite that “Haryana is a land where lovers found hanged on the tree”. A typical pattern has been witnessed in the honour killings in Haryana that if girl is of higher caste and boy from lower caste, both are killed. If boy is from higher caste and girl is from lower caste, generally girl is killed. If both boy and girl have lineage in upper caste, there is possibility of compromise. It clearly indicates that societal norms for women and lower castes or dalits are quite different. Those who participate in honour killing often justify their act by stating that their action will provide deterrence to others and will prevent them from committing such an act which will bring disgrace to their family and society. From the past, the price to protect the honour of the family was always paid by woman folk, who were seen as weak and dependent, are shouldered with the responsibility to maintain purity and honour of the family.
The concept of caste system and endogamy are the major determinant of mate selection. The mindset of the people whether in rural areas or people shifted from villages to urban centers, their thoughts govern by caste. Generally no marriage alliance is permissible outside the caste. This is the major root cause of the honor killing. Because of access to education in schools, colleges or institutions or jobs has necessitated the living of youths outside in the hostels, PGs or other rented accommodations and this dimension has allowed them to freely interact and mingle despite the consideration of castes or religion. Living together and continuous interactions led the youths in developing friendship, relationships, love interests as natural vent of mutual feelings and emotions. The changed situations demands for the change of outlook and mindset but unfortunately that's not existing in the society. Parents, guardians, community leaders and khaps are the deterrent to the budding relationships mutually by consent amongst the youths. The caste system and endogamy prevalent in the society prove as an abhorrent factor and compel the youths either to finish the relations or ready to be died. Khap Panchayat over decade has created their villainous image and has turned into an institution which won’t hesitate to go to any extent in order to satisfy their ego. However, with the passage of time there has been considerate change in the thoughts and rituals of Khap Panchayat and might be seen in near future as an institution which will oppose honour killings rather than promote it.
The news of killing three youths in Kaithal and Karnal in the name of honour was appeared in the newspapers on 17th September, 2023. The news is highly disturbing. In earlier years several such killing have been reported from different parts of the state. To name a few, such as Manoj-Babli (2010) in a village of Kaithal, Monica-Rinku of Neemriwali (2010), Murti Devi of Kansala (Rohtak) in 2014, Sarita Devi of Naraunkhera village of Gohana, Sonepat in 2014, Ravinder and his wife of Dhrana in Jhajhjhar who were killed by their parents and relatives on the concealed dictate of Khap panchayats.
Marriage of Satish of Kheri Maham and Kavita of Bhagi-Bahrod was annulled by such so called khap panchayat and the couple was ordered to be brother-sister despite having a child out of this wedlock. Similarity, in village Siwaha of Panipat district, lower caste couple was dictated to dissolve their solemnized marriage or face the consequence. These are a few cases only which have been quoted. In fact there are numerous incidents of honor killing are happening in Haryana over the years. National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) reported 25 cases in its report of 2020 of honor killing. Because most cases are classified as suicides or accidental deaths or registered under different sections of the IPC, the correct record of honour killing cases is not maintained. The genesis of this criminal mindset rest in the highly intolerance, irrational social behavior and eulogized thoughts of family honour. These incidents are indicative of how our social system is regressive and feudalistic which permits the parents to turn monster for their own children and not hesitate to take away their lives. The reasons behind such atrocious thinking are absence of social discourse, no freedom to an individual to choose the life partner and no fear of law.
Courts has dealt these cases sternly and awarded exemplary punishments for honour killing. The decisions of the courts are not proving deterrent for the perpetrators of honour killings. The rigid caste system and imperious religious boundaries, traditional mindset, pseudo social values, no discourse on the social values and evils, no voice of female in mate selection, patronage of khap panchayats and social and political leaders which are responsible for this regressive medieval thinking are not questioned. Fact is that there is practically no social movement or social churning in the society which oppose this brutal tendency of killers which relegates the humans at the lower pedestal than the animals. The Haryanvi society is in the state of inertia which is silent on the social issues and the leaders both of khaps and political parties are involved in seeking the dividends of political power. The problem of barbaric thought is more societal than legal and needs to be addressed primarily at the level of society; besides taking stringent panel action against the criminals.
It is the stark reality that new social-economic, educational dimensions have opened the gates for more vigorous cross social contacts at the places of education or work places or mixed habitats in urban areas. Interactions and unbridled mingling of the young boys and girls, man and women across the castes and religion is unstoppable. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, snapchat, telegram, Instagram and numerous other have provided the potent weapon in the hands of the people particularly young generation for unabated, unceasing and round the clock contact and interactions. If interactions unfathomed and unrestricted and; which cannot be contained and bounded in today's scenario, relationships, love interests and marriages bound to happen naturally. No force can change the rule of nature. The pace of inter-caste or inter-religious or intra-locality marriage can be slowed down for sometime but never can be stopped. The so called slogan of ‘love-jihad’ or anything else will prove futile but surely take away some precious lives. The long queues of boys and girls in the district courts and High Courts for protection and marriage is the vivid example of the changing ground situations and more youngster are involving in the inter-faith and inter-caste relationships. Is this new blowing of the wind in the society not worth consideration for the society as a whole, social and political organizations to think and churn and erase the obsolete ideas and ideals from the society for the emotional bonding of their young generation by virtue of their choice?
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