In India, honour killing is still prevalent in many sections of society. But in today’s modern world, do these orthodox trends have any rational significance. These are mere psychological notions of people, nothing more than that and thus its eradication is a must.
What do you mean by Honour Killing? Ever heard of it? One must have seen any news on honour killing case, which has been showcased and highly projected in the media. Otherwise how come anyone gets to know about it? As such instances are mostly kept buried in silence and not disclosed much, to save the so called pride of the community.
When a person is killed in the name of saving or protecting the honour any caste, community or family, such killing is called honour killing . There may be many reasons for such honour killings in India but the most prominent reasons remain the casteism and communalism. A huge number of honour killings that happen, are mostly due to inter-religion or inter-caste marriages.
Many honour killing incidents go unrecorded and those which come in limelight, are dragged upon for numerous long years in courts and still ends with delayed, improper or no justice. Mostly such killings revolve around issues like relationships or marriages between people of different castes or religion or runaway marriages against family will. In many such cases, either the bride or the groom or both along with their children (if any) are killed for marrying someone against the family’s wish or in a lower caste or other religion. Many movies depict this reality which takes place in our Indian societies in a very cruel manner. Some such movies are: Bollywood movie ‘ DHADAK’, Punjabi movie ‘CHANNA MEREYA’ , and many more.
It’s a very age old heinous crime, still existing in our society. India society, as based on a class or caste based system, gives huge prominence to these. Though many people living in the cities or metropolitan areas have detached themselves from these old mindsets and have broadened their mentality by stepping out of the rigid caste framework. But many, still residing in the villages and having the orthodox narrow mentality, still believe in these casteism circles and follow the same.
The Indian constitution grants freedom to choose one’s own life partner and preach religion of one’s own choice, to all the citizens. But the laws and rights never seem to reach and apply rigidly in villages. People in villages follow their own belief systems revolving around the various old customs, traditions, norms etc. The Panchayats mostly consist of head members within a caste, and have the decisive power regarding various issues. Same power is utilised by the Panchayat members while deciding matters of inter-caste or runaway marriages in villages. People hardly seek assistance of police or legal institution in such matters and don’t even get such matters reported. They try deciding these within the Panchayats or community and bury the matter in silence.
It often happens that in honour killings the parents dump the bodies of their children and don’t even claim them for last rites, in the name of honour. The police are not even informed about it and this is one of the reasons behind so many unrecorded deaths in our country. In the name of honour and pride of caste or religion, people commit such evil and heinous crimes to none other than their own children, kins, their own blood.
Don’t they feel the numbness in their hands, shivering in their bodies due to humanity while doing such extremely inhumane crimes to their own kins.
They are just blinded by the superficious pride and so called ‘ izzat’ i.e. respect in the community. They don’t even feel regret or any guilt of doing such devastating acts. Instead have no sorrow and even at instances they head on take the charge with the statement that this needed to be done to all those who try to change their old customs or who step outside the boundaries establishing within their community for various things.
Really?
- Is this the reality behind arranged, family fixed marriages?
- This is the concept kept in mind behind such marriages, even now?
Considering one’s understanding, nature, compatibility, behaviour etc doesn’t matter to them at all. All what matters is being of the same caste and religion. No inter-mixing of different racial castes or blood. What a creepy mindset regarding marriage, still existing in today’s world.
Unfortunately it’s very evident that caste system in India has turned into a social evil for many people in the society. Many people have lost their lives in the name of protecting honour of family or community that too for doing no grave crime. All what they did was an inter-caste marriage, against family’s choice and got cruelly punished by the evil societal norms.
Shamefully these things exist at a vast scale in our Indian societies and not only in villages, but also in many big cities.
“The views of the authors are personal“
