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Honour killing: Murder In The

Name Of Honour
"It is very easy to hate a Nazi, a guardian in a Gulag.
But the real danger is not them. It is the decent people
who compromise with evil."
--- Jacobo Timerman.

In a world where people chat with 3G technology and life goes on at a vroom pace, our society
has regressed to the Dark Ages where the honor of society is killed without a thought. Lives are
taken for age old beliefs which should have been extinct by now as they are not consistent with
our present day lifestyles. Honour killings used to be a phrase linked with the Middle East and
the backward countries which follow strict Islamic Code of conduct. But our own country isnt
any better than the Taliban. This is a different form of terrorism a social terrorism. The worst
part is that people living in cities are also a part of this social terrorism. In a world where people
talk about human rights and individualism, young couples are killed in the name of religion and
family honour.
MEANING AND DEFINITION
Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of the person. Men and women of full age
without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry or to have a
family. It is very unfortunate that the caste system in India has turned into a social evil for many.
Many young people have lost their lives in the name of honour. And there are many more who
are at the gunpoint of this rigid belief system.
Honour killing is a practice whereby male members kill a female relative who is perceived as
having damaged family honour. Her death restores the honour of the family. Honour killing can
be triggered by a woman or girl talking with an unrelated male, consenting to sexual relations
outside marriage, being the victim of rape, or refusing to marry a man chosen by the family.
Even a suspicion of the womans committing any of these transgressions can be sufficient to

trigger this action. No further justification is required. Most

often the woman is killed by her father, brother or uncle,

Society has strange way of

though other women of the family are usually also complicit in

dealing with things that it

the action.

finds problematic to put into

ORIGIN OF HONOUR KILLING IN INDIA

slots. A women who dies in a

promiscuous relationship or

The tradition of honour killing was first viewed in its most

is raped or murdered or

horrible form during the partition of our country in between

commits suicide is seen as

the years 1947 and 1950 when many women were forcefully

something which was not

killed so that family honour could be preserved. During the

supposed to happen in a

partition, there were a lot of forced marriages which were

civilized, moral and ethical

causing women from India to marry men from Pakistan and

society.

vice-versa. And then there was a search to hunt down these

women who were forced to marry a person from another
country and another religion and when they returned home
they were killed so that the family honour could be preserved
and they were declared social outcaste from their religion. At
that time, the influence of religion and social control was
much greater and hence there was at least a couple of honour
killing a day. The partition years can be seen to be the
beginning of the tradition of honour killing on a large scale.
This is a practice that continues to be prevailing in North and
South America, Africa, Turkey and many other countries.1
MISCONCEPTIONS REGARDING THE PRACTICE OF
HONOR KILLING

The first misconception about honor killing is that this is a

practice that is limited to the rural areas. The second is Honour
killing is often mistakenly believed to be an Islamic practice or
1 [Analysis on Honour Killing, Lawz, 10/08/2010]

a practice condoned by Islam since it often occurs in Muslim-majority societies. In actual fact
honour killing is forbidden in Islam and there is no mention of this practice in the Quran or in the
Hadiths. There is little evidence of the practice in Muslim-majority countries such as Indonesia
or Malaysia.
It is also a false notion that honour killing only involves the killing of women. Men are equally
victims of this practice, especially when it affects the reputation of a particular caste and
community. More than 1,000 young people in India have been done to death every year owing to
'Honour Killings' linked to forced marriages.
AROUND THE WORLD
United Nations Population Fund approximates that as many as 5,000 women are murdered in this
manner each year around the world. Between 1993 and 2003 police identified 109 honour-related
crimes across U.K. and Europe2.
In 2002, the UN adopted a resolution on Working towards the elimination of crimes against wo
men committed in the name of honour.
Worldwide Reporting of Honour Killing to UN Commission on Human Rights
Reports submitted to the UN Commission on Human Rights show that honour killings have occurred in
Bangladesh, Brazil, Ecuador, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco,
Pakistan, Syria, Sweden, Turkey, Uganda, the UK, the USA, and Yemen3.

According to Amnesty International, honour killings are the most widespread in Pakistan.
A recent report by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) states that 647
women were killed in the name of "honour" in 2009 -- up by 13 percent from 2008 when
574
such
killings
were
reported.

In Iraq in 2000 and 2002, the Kurdish authorities introduced amendments to the law,
but incidents of "honour crimes" continue to be reported. In its statement of 1 May, the

2 Reported in The Guardian newspaper 04.10.06

3 Becker, J.N. Crimes of Honour: Womens Rights and International Human Rights Law, Geneva 2004
http://www.sit-edu-geneva.ch/crimes_of_honour.htm

Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) said there had been 40 convictions for honour
killings in the Kurdistan region and that at least 24 other cases are pending.

THE PSYCHOLOGY BEHIND HONOUR KILLINGS IN INDIA

It might be time to apply a psychoanalytical approach to honour killings and other social issues of our
times, in order to devise ways to engage with pathologies at a community level. In the realm of the psyche,
if something evokes feelings that are totally disproportionate in intensity to those warranted under the
circumstances, its a pointer to the need to explore the source of the extreme emotion. How does a mind
judicially trained to base convictions on evidence get so enraged at a hedonistic lifestyle as to convict and
pronounce the death penalty? Perhaps it has something to do with the suppressed hedonistic parts of
oneself which then surface in virulence disproportionate enough to order the death of the person who leads
such a lifestyle. Similarly it may be worth exploring the source of the tremendous rage that seems to be
generated when two individuals from the same gotra get married. Even whilst growing up , adolescent
boys in general have no acceptable outlet for their pent-up sexual drive. The revering of brahmacharya
(celibacy) along with beliefs about loss of semen leading to weakness of the body, mind and spirit acts as a
block to healthy masturbation. Even when indulged in, it comes ridden with guilt, anxieties and fears
about the consequences. Sexual fantasies involving close family members , and lack of interaction and
sexual activity among peers, fuels further frustration accompanied by feelings of guilt and perversion too
stressful to bear; they are suppressed in the unconscious. It is possible that these suppressed feelings are
mobilised and projected and whipped into righteous frenzy when two people from the same gotra get
married, implicit in which is the having of sexual relations. The transgressing couple becomes the
repository of all that is impure and bad, while one remains pure and good. It leads to the crossing of
a certain threshold where an othering takes place, and the evil, lustful, animal couple become
transformed into beast-like creatures, threatening all that is sacred and pure, and so deserving of death.It
is just that they are unable to tolerate the fact that someone is making decisions according to their own free
will and is refusing to concede to the ones made by the society? Is being in a relationship with someone in
other CASTE a good enough reason for a person to be brutally killed? Is the SOCIETY and
REPUTATION so important in front of happiness and well being of a loved one?

HONOR KILLINGS AND GOVERNMENTAL PROTECTION

Under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, Section 5 (IV) and 5 (v) forbid marriages between the
prohibited degrees and among the Sapindas (particles of the same body) as void ab initio except
when permitted by customs and usages of the community 4; for example, in certain south Indian
communities a man can marry his niece (sisters daughter). Section 18 prescribes punishments
for violation of the above rules. The khap leaders are demanding that Hindu Marriage Act should
also specifically disallow sagotra marriages and the marriageable age of girls and boys should be
lowered to 15 and 17 respectively to stop them from eloping. Both these demands are regressive
in nature and are a clear evidence of how a group of people branding themselves as the caretaker
of tradition want to tyrannically control the transition pattern in the society.

4 Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 , Section5. Conditions for a Hindu marriage:(iv) The parties
are not within the degrees of prohibited relationship, unless the custom or usage governing
each of them permits of a marriage between the two.
(v) The parties are not sapindas of each other, unless the custom or usage governing each of
them permits of a marriage between the two.

Honour killing does the violation of human rights like right to privacy, decency and dignity.
Worried by these incidents the centre has decided to bring in

The root of the cause for the

more stringent laws and amendments in the Indian Penal

increase in the number of honour

Code, 1860, the Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 and the

Evidence Act, 1872, in the coming session of parliament.
Under the proposed amendments Honour Killing will be

killing is because the present

government has not been able to

brought under the definition of murder. Anyone who will

reach the rural areas and also the

order or commit such act will be treated as an accomplice

other reason is the short coming

and abettor in crime. The accused person will have to prove

of our judicial system

their innocence under the Indian Evidence Act. Till the time
the new amendments come into force some of the provisions which can be restored to are section
299-304, 307, 308 ( offences affecting human body ), 34 and 35, 107-116 (abetment), 120 A & B
( Criminal Conspiracy ). If any person is facing the problem of Honour Killing he can approach
the court under the sections mentioned above. Further, the government is going to laid down the
laws which will specifically deal with the crimes of Honour Killing.
State Protection
State protection is available for the victims of honour killings but its effectiveness is in doubt. In
some part of India, the local police, expected to be independent of the community dominated by
religion/caste is unable to act according to the rule of law as it is so closely aligned with the
community. Even lower court judges have been criticised for their laxity in dealing with murders
arising out of caste5. There is a distinct difference between committing a socially unacceptable
and deed and committing a punishable crime. We cannot put both on par and club the victim with
the criminal. If we keep ascribing blame to women for crimes done against women themselves,
the criminal-minded men who commit such crimes would be emboldened and the crimes would
continue to happen.6

5 SC raps judges for honour killing laxity, Hindustan Times, 9/10/2009 .

6 [Damned and Condemned, The Tribune, 18/09/2010]

CASTE PANCHAYATS AND POLICE

Caste panchayats and the dominance of local customs and laws combined with the fact that it is
almost always the upper sections of the community which begin the violence make it hard to
bring the accused to book. Inevitably, local customs are endorsed by the local police, who often
see nothing wrong in forcing a woman who has consensually eloped to return to her family.
Since cases of abduction, kidnapping or rape are often foisted upon the men in question, proving
that these charges are baseless is often a daunting and a time

consuming task. In many cases

where the couple has eloped and community members cannot track them down,it is the families
that arepunished. Take for instance, a case in Bhawanipur district in Uttar Pradesh, where a
woman was gangraped and burnt todeath by members of the Yadav community. Her crime was
that her son had eloped with the wife of one of the Yadavs. Her family alleged that despite
their running to the local police station and begging them to help, the station officer
refused to do anything about it.This, as in many instances, was a case of vengeance against one
family for having sullied the honour of anothers. Killing

by

stabbing,

strangulation,

setting on fire, gang rape, acid attacks, being paraded naked in the village and ostracism
are just some of the many ways in which powerful caste panchayats choose to avenge the
honour of the community.

LATEST NEWS AND VIEWS:

1) Honour killers deserves death penalty : SC
In one of the latest judgment the Honble Supreme Court has awarded life sentence to three
persons in a honour killing case, but said that the accused deserved capital punishment. 7

2) Supreme court seeks 'honour killing' response :

India's Supreme Court has said the government must explain what it is doing to prevent
"honour killings". The court order came as it heard a petition which said the authorities
had "failed to prevent killings of couples and individuals in the name of honour". Taking
7 [ Honour Killers deserves death penalty: SC, The Hindustan Times, 4/8/2010]

note of the rise in "honour crimes", the Supreme Court demanded responses from the the
federal government and state governments of Punjab, Haryana, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh,
Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. The court said it wanted
them to explain what steps they had taken to protect young couples who are being
threatened by their families and communities.8

Latest cases:
1) Couple killed in Jind by girls family
A horrific chapter was added to the mindless honour killings in Haryana when a young
couple was mercilessly murdered by the family of a girl in Jind town. The victims, vikas
dhanda, 20, and Ritu Sharma, 18, both IIT aspirants, were taking coaching in Delhi. The
only mistake they have done is of choosing a partner which was not of their caste and the
result was both were thrashed and then strangulated to death.9
2) Another suspected honour killing, girl electrocuted in Punjab
Another case of suspected honour killing in Punjab, parents allegedly killed their
22-year-old daughter by electrocution over an 'affair'. The father-mother duo
allegedly electrocuted their daughter and then attempted to burn alive her lover in
Begowal in Punjab's Hoshiarpur District.10

3) BBC News - Delhi police make arrests after 'honour killing'

Umesh Kumar and his wife Satvati Devi were woken in the middle of the night by
loud cries coming from the neighbouring house. "She was crying loudly. She was
8 [http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10364986, 21/7/2010]

9 [ Couple killed in Jind by girls family,The Times of India,14/9/2010]

10 [Girl electrocuted in Punjab for saving HONOUR Hindustan Times, 24/7/2010]

pleading, 'Kill me, but please don't hurt him.' She loved him and they wanted to get
married," Ms Devi tells me. Aisha Saini and Yogesh Kumar, both 19, were beaten
with metal rods and then electrocuted. the girl's family disapproved of the
relationship because her
boyfriend was from another caste. According to the Hindustan Times, neighbours
went to the house on Sunday but were told that a family matter was being
discussed. A police official quoted in the newspaper said the assault went on for
hours.The couple were beaten with "iron rods and other blunt weapons" before
being forced to sit on iron trunks to which live wires were attached and they were
electrocuted, he said.11

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR PROTECTING WOMEN FROM HONOUR KILLINGS

In many cases of honour killings, law enforcement officials and the judicial systems impose
lenient punishments for those who commit these crimes. Laws provide loopholes that mean
that perpetrators of honour killings do not receive punishment, or receive light sentences.
States are responsible for the protection and promotion of the rights of women in their
countries. They are responsible for preventing and punishing violence against women when it
is committed by the state and when it is committed by private actors. In the case of honour
killings, the state is responsible for ensuring that perpetrators of these crimes are brought to
justice, and that they dont receive lesser punishments than if the crime were not a crime of
honour. The difference in the type of punishment for violence against women, and the fact
that violence against women often goes unpunished, is discriminatory and a violation of
international law. The United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of

11 [ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/south_asia/10316249.stm]

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Discrimination against Women requires states to take all appropriate measures, including
legislation, to modify or abolish existing laws, regulations, customs and practices which
constitute discrimination against women. Clearly, the state is responsible for protecting
women from violence, and for taking action to make sure that honour killings are treated as
serious crimes under the law, and in practice.
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
RECOMMENDATIONS
1) Support strategies to address honour killings as part of a holistic approach to the
promotion of gender equality.
2) Active police and panchayat body; as these crimes are mainly confined to rural or village
areas.
3) Identify, mobilize and support internal forces for social change.
4) Reform of the penal codes which condone honour killing.
5) Support to national NGOs who are acting against Honour Killing.
6) Support to the judicial system. All cases of honour killing need to be registered ,
investigated and brought to justice. Police and other officials found guilty of neglected,
concealing, or condoning cases of honour killing should be removed.
7) Support to capacity-building of judicial system : The State must ensure the proper
application of the laws by ensuring that all those involved police, prosecutors,
magistrates, judiciary, should be trained to understand the issues behind honour killing,
its illegality and its indefensibility on the grounds of honour or passion.
8) Provide protection for women threatened by honour killing.

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CONCLUSION
For every spoon of food making it into our mouth we would have to lift that veil. Love is a
natural human feeling which should not be denied or repressed. It is not unnatural for two people
to fall in love; it is unnatural for parents to murder their children for falling in love. How long are
we going to be silent witnesses of such criminal acts? Helpless, we read of the violent
unthinkable death of a teenage girl, hands tied, buried alive, by those you loved, who loved you,
yet watched you claw the earth breath it, suffocate beneath it. Your punishment,by honour
demanded, for life without honour is no life. No words describe honour bought by the death of a
child at a fathers hand. No words can ease the painful senselessness of a promising life,
smothered, taken. No words