INTRODUCTION

HONOUR KILLING

That’s what they call it in India when a young couple is brutally murdered on the pretext of
saving the honor of their respective families. The crime for which they are punished (rather
executed) is for loving and marrying someone who hails from a different community / caste.
Ironic as it sounds, India is being viewed as a new face emerging on the global platform as a
country that offers tremendous growth and business opportunities as of today. The downside
in the Indian system is, most certainly, its entire social structure which, so blatantly and
brazenly, shows in its dogmatic views, its hideous and heinous approach in dealing with
problems of youth, its fanaticism, its gruesome attempt to curb the individuality of the
younger generation and its intolerance and unacceptability of the changes which have crept
in, due to intermingling of various cultures, in the wake of globalization.

The Caste Curse

In olden times, Indian society was a victim of various evils, one of which was caste system. It
is said that the caste system was designed with an intention of dividing the society into four
distinct groups depending on the kind of work they were involved in. So to say, it was an
easier way to assign different occupational roles to people; the motive was to ensure smooth
running of the entire economic system. However, the division of society on the basis of caste
system turned out to be the most horrifying milestone in the history of India as it lead to
downgrading people on account of the families they were born in and the menial jobs they
earned their living from. Simply put, the dignity of labor was lost and that reflects in the
modern society as well. For decades, the poor belonging to lowest in the hierarchy (Braham-
priest, Kshatriya-warriors, Vaishya-traders and Shudras-the laborers or the untouchables),
were treated as despicable out-castes and were, mostly compelled to live on the outskirts of
the village so that they couldn’t drink the water from the same well as ones from the higher
castes did . Sounds terrible but that’s where the present society evolved from. No doubt, the
caste system was abolished long time ago as a result of relentless and selfless efforts of
countless social workers including a renowned Indian jurist and a political leader, Dr.
Ambedkar (architect of Indian constitution) who spent his whole fighting against the social
discrimination and caste system existing in India. Perhaps it was preordained that the man
who would be responsible for eradicating one of the major evils in the society would be
born in a family of untouchables . Thats who Ambedkar was, by birth. All for a reason!
It’s sad to see that nothing much has changed socially; in fact, decades back, society was
divided only on the basis of caste but today multiple factors are responsible for the social
disparity. In modern India, it’s hard to find a person who would see himself only as an
‘Indian’. What has emerged after all those years of hard work, sacrifices and bloodshed
during pre-independence era, is a totally chaotic modern society where people discriminate
on the basis of race, color, culture, gender, states, religion and economic standards. I think
it’s worse than being divided only on the basis of caste. What kind of a society permits the
elders or so-called self-proclaimed leaders of a particular community to have a proprietary
interest in the marriage of a young girl and a boy who dare to fall in love and dream of having
a life together? I believe that a decision to spend the rest of life with someone should be
purely personal (to bride and groom) and no one (not even parents beyond a certain extent)
should be allowed to interfere in such important and sensitive issues. People who think that
such cases are reported only in the Muslim community, have to pay closer attention to other
parts of the world where such things do not appear to be predominant and remain hidden
beneath the surface.

KHAP PANCHAYAT

With reports of 'honour' killings of young couples and 'kangaroo' court rulings on the rise,
government has decided to draft a law that will seek to put an end to such 'extra-judicial'
actions. Law Minister M Veerappa Moily has come with the statement that Home Ministry
has already prepared a Bill aimed at "putting an end" to such crimes being reported from
different parts of the country. The Home Ministry has already drafted a Bill, which has been
vetted. It will be a tight law to put an end to such crimes. the bill envisaged amendments to
several related acts, including the Evidence Act, and the onus would be on the accused to
prove their innocence.

Even as the Government is contemplating bringing in a new law to deal with the spurt in
honour killings, reports by human rights organisations show that cold-blooded murders in the
name of saving family pride had been prevalent in many parts of the world.

Honour killings have been rampant in orthodox and socially backward groups in many
countries including India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Turkey, Jordan and the Palestinian
Territories, they say.

While statistics are hard to come by due to non-reporting of such crimes, United Nations
Population Fund approximates that as many as 5,000 women are murdered in this manner
each year around the world.