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Via WOMEN'S FEATURE SERVICE
India - New Delhi
India:
Honour Killing Tragedies of Taboo Inter-Caste Marriages
By Nirupama Dutt
Kaithal (Women's Feature Service) - Seema Banawal, 23, of village Karora in
Kaithal district of Haryana, was devastated by the murder of her brother Manoj
and his wife, Bubbly.
It was less than a year ago that the bread-winner of the house and his bride
were brutally murdered by Bubbly's relatives. Their fault: they had fallen in
love, eloped and married. Heartbroken, Chandrapati, 49, the widowed mother of
Seema, picks up a picture of the young couple, "See how beautiful the two
were... and how brutally they were killed."
As both were from the Jat community, from the same sub-caste and from the same
village, their marriage was taboo. As per Hindu tradition, inter-caste
marriages are prohibited, an alliance between a boy and girl of the same caste
and 'gotra' (origin of a caste from the lineage of the seven sages in the
Vedas) is not valid, and even a union between two from the same village is
forbidden.
Seema recalls the harrowing summer of 2007, "Manoj and Bubbly eloped and
we had no idea about it. Yet, we were harassed by Bubbly's relatives and the
'khap panchayat'. A case of kidnapping was registered and we were socially
boycotted." When the couple came back to Kaithal, Bubbly gave a statement
to the magistrate saying that she had chosen to go with Manoj and that the two
were now married. The magistrate instructed the police to escort the couple
back to Jaipur, where they had eloped. Instead, the police put them on to a bus
at Pipli, near Karnal. At Karnal, Bubbly's relatives tracked them down. On June
21, 2007, the couple was found dead.
Even as Seema wages a battle for justice - she has filed a case against her
sister-in-law's family, another 'honour killing' is making headlines. In Balah
village on May 9, 2008, Sunita Devi, 22, and Jasbir Singh, 27, both Jats, were
killed by Sunita's father and other relatives. Their bodies were displayed like
hunting trophies outside Sunita's house. Childhood sweethearts, Sunita and
Jasbir had eloped and were living with Jasbir's sister, Neelam Devi, in
Machhraoli village near Panipat when they were attacked. As the village
celebrated the killings, the 'sarpanch' (village council head), Ranbir Singh
Mann, announced with pride that the entire village supported the family in its
'noble act'.
Gruesome murders like these committed in the name of family honour and not
uncommon in the local community indicate that material progress in these
regions has not led to a tolerant outlook. Unfortunately, 'khap panchayats', or
caste panchayats, that have been around since medieval times, still hold a
powerful sway over people. Though they are not recognised by the government,
they have a right to intervene in case there is any lapse in the caste and
'gotra' arrangement in a rural society.
However, today there is change in the air. This crimes of honor tradition
is now meeting with resistance from some rural women, with the support of
women's groups like the CPM's All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA).
Admits Seema, "I would never have had the courage to fight the case, which
has resulted in six arrests, but for the support of Jagmati Sangwan and Brinda
Karat."
Jagmati Sangwan, the Haryana president of Akhil Bhartiye Janwadi Samiti, (AIDWA
in Hindi) reveals, "We have been protesting and resisting these honor
crime horrific acts for over a decade."
As a result of greater mobility and with more women gaining access to
education, the number of marriages of choice, as against those arranged by
elders, is on the rise. In Hisar, where there are three universities, the
number of inter-caste marriages has increased. Since students of different
backgrounds study together, they often fall in love and want to marry but are
too scared to return to their villages for they know that it will either lead
to separation or death.
Shakuntala Jakharh, state secretary of Janwadi Samiti, says, "The first
case of inter-caste elopement came to us in 1987. In the last five years, we
have come across many more and we have lobbied with the administration to
ensure that these couples are given security. The administration doesn't act
until pushed."
The administration is not keen to meddle with the local social hierarchy and do
little even when public lynchings of couples take place. The violence ranges
from murder, murder made to appear as suicide, public beatings to forced
incarceration and social boycott.
"At times, the panchayat forces the couple into tying a rakhi to signify
that they are brother and sister. What kind of twisted morality is this?"
questions Sangwan.
Take the case of Sonia Devi and Rampal Dahiya of Asandha village in Jhajjar
district. Married for over a year, with Sonia three-months pregnant, the Rathi
caste panchayat of Asandha declared that the husband and wife could only be
brother and sister. The judgement was based on the contention that Rampal's
caste - the Rathis - inhabit the same village as Sonia's parents, who come from
the Hooda caste. Sonia was thus from a third caste, but since there were Rathi
settlements in her native village the marriage was considered wrong. At the
panchayat assembly Rampal was told that he would be physically attacked if he
refused to have a rakhi tied on him by his wife, who was then dragged towards
him.
However, his mother and sister stood their ground. Just as the group was
dragging Sonia to do this, Rampal's sister, Sheela Malik, 40, intervened.
"I reached just in time. I even beat up a 'panch' (village council
member). I was not afraid and I spoke out because someone has to speak out
against such injustice."
Malik filed a case with the help of AIDWA. A timely petition filed by the
People's Union for Civil Liberties in the High Court of Punjab and Haryana
elicited a prompt response. The court directed the state government to
rehabilitate the couple in their village and provide them with security. Though
it was reluctant, the government had no choice but to carry out the court
order. Today, after six years of marriage and two children, Rampal and Sonia
still live in fear. Shanti devi, 60, Rampal's mother says, "While all is
well on the outside, we are afraid that they may harm us. There have been two
assaults on my son while he was working in the fields."
Sangwan says, "It is sad that the government has not condemned the
killings of Sunita and Jasbir. The right to marry a person of one's choice
should be protected. We have been working with rural women in Asandha and
Jaundhi for years and have now been able to make a difference. In fact, there
have been some concessions from the caste panchayats in these villages too."
For instance, the Asandha khap panchayat has said that they will not interfere
if a marriage is over a year or more old.
Such gruesome killings continue to make it to the front page of newspapers but
end up being forgotten, with the administration taking little or no action.
Even a higher social status is no protection. Santosh Yadav of Rewat village,
who scaled Mount Everest twice and was awarded the Padma Shri in 2000, faced a
tough time when she decided to marry outside her caste. She had no choice but to
leave her state and settle elsewhere.
Meanwhile, Seema who is studying law, has been selected to the post of
constable in the Haryana police. After Manoj's death, the family's financial
situation deteriorated. Empowered by her struggle, Seema applied for and
secured a job with the Haryana police. She goes for training in July. "The
panchayat has now been pressurising us to reach an out-of-court settlement in
exchange for cash. No money can compensate for such a heinous crime. I will
fight to the very end."
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