A mindset change to stop honor killings

Over the last couple of months, news has been in pouring in about ‘honor killings’ in the northern States of Punjab and Haryana. Numerous couples have been killed mostly by family members on the orders of the ‘khap panchyats’ because they eloped, married outside their caste or within the same ‘gotra’. The problem is not limited to the north, but can be seen in numerous southern states as well. Initially my reaction was one of plain shock, but as news and reactions come in I am beyond disgusted and ashamed. I find it hard to believe that such a gruesome system of ‘honor killings’ flourishes in India!

The central government is planning to include such killings and killers in a special provision of the Indian Penal Code so that they can be tried for murder. (Does it mean they are currently not murderers?) But instead of acting upon it with urgency, the government has convened a Group of Ministers to deliberate upon the matter, as “honor killings is a sensitive issue.” While it is sensitive, the sensitivity is limited to the victims and not the murders, the khap panchayats. The real problem here is that some members of the government are concerned about their vote banks in these northern states, as the khap panchyats wield almost total control over a large section of the rural community. Labeling them as murders would damage relationships and minimize chances of re-election. 

The khap panchyats are but kangaroo courts operating mostly outside the realm of Indian law. They have their own rules and laws, and they make sure that their decisions are implemented to the T. These courts display, at best, a medieval mindset as they go about ordering killings of couples for marrying within the ‘gotra’, outside the caste or even eloping. They believe that marrying within the same ‘gotra’ is tantamount to incest. According to Hindu traditions, all Hindus can trace their origins to seven or eight sages, after whom the gotras get their names, and are passed on through the family. So if you have the same ‘gotra’ or lineage (a very rough translation) then those two people should be considered siblings and cannot marry. While this idea is not strictly enforced in most of the families today, arranged marriages would include ensuring that the bride and groom have different gotras. The ‘honor killings’ are an incomprehensible extension of the whole idea.

As the Manmohan Singh government ponders over the killings and framing special laws for them, what I do not understand is why these khap panchayat members cannot be arrested and tried as accessories. It is after all under their direction that the killings were executed. I fail to understand why the government even needs time to think about it. It is a no –brainer. The people have killed and boosted about it many-a-times, and should therefore be arrested and tried.

As India tries to fly high with its nuclear deals, claims to an UNSC permanent seat, ~8% growth rate, a sense of moral uprightness in dealing with Pakistan, condemning human rights abuses across the globe etc. such disgraceful events will only deal a blow to its international image.  ‘Honor killings’ are murders, human right abuses, atrocities against women, denial of individual’s freedom of choice, and a display of the failure of the law and order situation in the country. India cannot claim to be a democracy, one of the biggest at that, if it cannot guarantee its citizen their fundamental rights to live on their own terms. It is a failure of the Manmohan Singh government and the Prime Minister personally, if he cannot put an end to such inhuman systems, and if his ministers/party/coalition members’ vote bank calculations are a reason for it.     

The world, along with India, has condemned honor killings in the Islamic countries. It would be hypocritical to expect that the world would sit by and ignore for too long the frequency of such monstrous acts in India. It would be a travesty if India cannot clean up its act and take action to end the system no matter how politically sensitive it is. A new law or provision in the Indian Penal Code would not be sufficient, the government and other social organizations would have to take up a mass movement to change the mindsets of the people. A separate movement would be necessary to change the attitudes and mindsets of politicians who find it alright to hesitate in acting against such atrocities, and even defend the khap panchyats. Honar killing is more than a law and order problem; it is a social evil. And proper education, awareness and sincerity in the implementation of laws protecting human rights and women’s rights would be the right way to go about it. The problem exists and India should accept it and tackle it with all its might. The people need to stand up against such systems and force the government to ensure them their right to love and live.