“Love is the emblem of eternity; it confounds all notion of time; effaces all memory of a beginning, all fear of an end.” – Madame de Stael
Haryana is infamous for killing its daughters. Efforts are made her to kill in the womb or as if she survived somehow, new born is subject to perpetrating inhuman and callous mindset. Even if she survives the first two big salvos, she is killed at the doorstep of her youthhood. The ignominy of killing its daughters is not on vane but abysmally on rise. This indicates that people are of animalistic mindset and no voice of opposition is heard from any quarter whether it is social organizations or political dispensation. Boasting is the typical character of this barbaric Haryanvi society. The government and its advocates fondly claim that Haryana is number 1 in economic front on many indicators but forget to mention that the state is competing in garnering the number 1 spot of killing its young ones. Big claims are made of brotherhood amongst 36 biradaries for centuries and it will be maintained through socio-political approach. But truth is that the lip service is made to garner the votes of the highly fragmented society on caste lines. And this fragmentation witnessed a sharp increase in the caste conglomeration primarily spearheaded by the political dispensation. The heads of leaders of different castes are joined on the platforms showing the pseudo oneness. Fact is that the so-called socio-political leaders at grassroot level or village are the torchbearer of spreading hatred and canard amongst the already fragile society. The young men and women are preached and trained to safeguard and maintain the static hierarchical social order. These young minds spread this venom vehemently in the institutions where they go or amongst their peers. The intolerance, pseudo caste honor and mindset of belonging to a particular caste and clan is hardened and reflects in the social discourse.
Honor killings clearly, the continuing shame of India despite the country’s major advances in several domains – are powered by the status and pride among individuals over the castes, sub-castes and religions they belong to. Utmost importance is given to the ‘purity’ of the family and that of ‘sense of belonging’ to a particular social segment has led to the most abhorrent outcome of patriarchy in the form of ‘honor killings’.
Unprecedent incidents of honor killings were appeared in the columns of newspapers in the month of June and July as if gushing water breaks the barrage. 27 year old Saravjeet Kaur was killed by her parents in village Nijadela Kalan of Sirsa district by her father and brother on she having a connect with a youth of nearby village despite opposition of her family. Komal was mercilessly killed by her adolescent brother, just 17 years old because she married with a boy of lower caste in Kaithal. The height of his criminal's mindset reflects when he shared a video on social media. A newly married couple, Tejvir and Meena was brutally murdered in a park oh Hansi in full public view. The couple initially availed the police protection but life can’t be run in four-walls, it needs certain livelihood to pull and prove the love. A youth was murdered in Rewari when he visited his love-interest and another Youngman, Gaurav Malik was murdered in Banchari village of Palwal district when he visited to his in-laws after around one and half month of marriage.
The spectrum of incidents clearly indicates that the virus of honor killing is inflicting the society in the cross-breadth of Haryana. The killers in all the reported cases within a short span of hardly one month shows that family of either girl or boy is involved in the heinous crime.
‘Honor killing’ also called ‘shame killing’ is the murder of an individual, mostly by the victim’s own family members, to protect the ‘dignity’ and ‘honor’ of the family when it involves inter-caste, inter-religious marriages or relationships. In most cases, the victim is a woman, although in several cases the man/boy is also targeted. The victims in most cases are from lower castes of the society, if he is boy and girl, if she belongs to upper caste or both boy and girl if they belongs to the same caste or different upper castes.
Although honor killing cases are more prevalent in a few North Indian states, like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Haryana, Jharkhand and Punjab, but Haryana has attained a unique kind of notoriety in honor killings. Now, this virus is spreading its tenterhooks in the southern states too. One of the late spread of this virus could be iron curtain raised between the castes and communities which couldn’t manifest because of variety of reasons but now youths, both boy and girl are coming in contact in the era of social media and internet which made easy access and interaction. As per the latest data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), the number of honor killings reported in India was 25 each in 2019 and 2020, and 33 in 2021. But these figures are based on those reported, and the number could be much higher than mentioned as most cases go unreported. These crimes take place throughout the world and are not limited to one specific religion or faith. However, they have rather significantly and consistently occurred in various parts of the Middle East and South Asia, with nearly half of all honor killings occurring in India and Pakistan.
Honor killing could be better understood that it is done to “eradicate the dishonor and shame brought by family members”, especially a woman by marrying or seeking a life partner belonging to a “lower caste”, which they feel does not “match” their social status. It is based on a fear of being ‘out-casted’ if such relationships are allowed, and there have been several cases where families have been humiliated for allowing a girl to marry outside, especially someone from a “lower caste”. Honor killing is nothing but a ‘‘planned murder’’ to safeguard the honor and prestige of a family to prevent it from “falling in the eyes” of members of the social segment they belong to.
While honor killings receive clandestine support and license from certain ‘respected’ quarters within the social group to which the perpetrators belong, there is no law to specifically deal with honor killing. The crime is dealt with as ‘murder’. Unfortunately, the law sees ‘honor killing’ as murder, not a larger conspiracy that ends up killing the innocent with a certain degree of social backing.
In Haryana, such crimes have the blessings of bodies like the Khap Panchayats, which provide extra-constitutional blessings for ‘honour killings’. They ignore Articles 14 and 15 of the Indian Constitution, dealing with the right to equality and not allowing discrimination on the grounds of religion, race, caste, gender or place of birth, respectively. The Constitution’s Article 19 provides the right to freedom, while Article 21 grants the right to life, which honour killings directly violate with the blessings of family elders. It also violates the rights of individuals to choose a life partner, irrespective of which caste or religion he or she belongs to.
The Supreme Court in 2006 observed: “We sometimes hear of ‘honor’ killings of such persons who undergo inter-caste or inter-religious marriages of their own free will. There is nothing honorable in such killings, and in fact, they are nothing but barbaric and shameful acts of murder committed by brutal, feudal-minded persons who deserve harsh punishment. Only in this way can we stamp out such acts of barbarism.”
It noted: “In our opinion, such acts of violence of threats or harassment are wholly illegal, and those who commit them must be severely punished. This is a free and democratic country, and once a person becomes a major, he or she can marry whosoever he/she likes. If the parents of the boy or girl do not approve of such inter-caste or inter-religious marriage, the maximum they can do is cut off social relations with the son or daughter, but they cannot harass the person who undergoes such inter-caste or inter-religious marriage.”
Most often, it involves the murder of a woman or girl by male family members, due to the perpetrators' belief that the victim has brought dishonor or shame upon the family name, reputation or prestige. Honor killings are believed to have originated from tribal customs. It seems that society has grown only in the sphere of material gains, hollow educational system, no cultivation of science’s accomplishments in the social behavior and belief. No social movement is in evidence, not even the voice of resentment, opposition and condemnation is heard from the social and political organization. The movement for economic demands have been witnessed in last 2-3 years but not a small demonstration was held against the decaying social values. The perpetrators of such heinous crime as that of honor killings are found to decorate the stage along the political leaders of different parties. Whom they will Fear? Glaring is the fact that law enforcing contingent comes from the same segment of the society with similar mindset who himself or herself believes trans caste and religion marriages as aberration and sin. Who will enforce the provisions of the constitution of equity and freedom of mate selection for the adult human being? Can the the youth be deterred from the love plunge? Can the honor killings forbade the youths not to fell in love? Love is an emotion that's highly abstract and has potential to entice the beloved as if a favored hunt. Martin Luther King Jr. Propounded that “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”
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