Deconstruct the Honour Concept

Dis-honour Killings : Deconstruct the Honour Concept . INDERJIT SINGH.

The recent cold blooded murder of an adult girl and a boy (Dharmender and Nidhi) on 18 September in Garnawathi village near Rohtak has yet again generated a media debate over unabated crimes of so called honour killings in Haryana and other regions especially of North West India. Another much talked about episode was that of Manoj – Babli who were killed in village Karoda of Kaithal district in June 2007.It should not be construed that no other honour killings have been committed since then. Dozens reported and many more unreported cases have taken place during these years. Two girls have been killed only within a week of the Garnawathi killing . One of the fateful victims was a girl who reportedly eloped with a boy from the Bapa village in Yamunanagar . She was traced, brought back and poisoned and then strangulated by her father and mother on 22 September.

But the recent Garnawathi incident having evoked more anguish is for the reasons of worst kind of cruelty used in the crime as well as the audacity with which this crime was being publically defended by the perpetrators and also by certain other regressive forces including many educated persons too . The other notable development in this context is the prompt spurt in the activities of some caste panchayats who are desperately seeking to deviate the main issue of right to life by mischievously repeating the demand for amending the Hindu Marriage Act 1955 (MHA) which according to them was the reason for the family members and parents who are left with no other 'option' but to kill their kins for their 'sin' of developing a relation within the same gotra or/ and the same village.

The khap panchayats have also attributed crimes against women to the attire they wear like Jeans etc and some of these self- appointed cultural and moral custodians have also declared ban on wearing Jeans and use mobiles. Some khap persons have gone to the extent of inspecting some girls schools in Jhajjar district on October 26 last in order to make sure that their diktats were enforced obediently. Such absurdity of blaming the victims themselves was also on the public display in the aftermath of 16 December Nirbhaya gang rape and murder in Delhi. One important factor, however, still remains missing in the entire debate and having a definite bearing on honour killing is that of identity politics being nakedly resorted to by most of the so called mainstream political parties in Haryana and other states in the recent past.

What has been going on during recent years is the caste consolidation as an electoral strategy in a vulgar competitive mode by various political outfits and other opportunist forces. This factor of caste identity politics consequently converted by RSS/VHP into communal flare up had also played its role in the Muzaffarnagar carnage in UP recently. It is not just by chance that most of the self styled caste bodies have been allotted large plots of prime lands at almost all district headquarters in Haryana by the successive governments in the name of Dharamshalas. Interestingly ,the size of such lands as well as the location depends on the social and political clout the particular caste was enjoing. The agitation for reservation for the Jats and other castes is not that much motivated over the concern for the unemployed youth but aimed at caste consolidation for strengthening the social domination.The increasing instances of attacks on the Dalits and sexual assaults on women too are not unconnected to such pernicious political game at play these days.

The incidents of honour killings, sexual assaults on women, persecution of dalits and minorities have some definite common links with the perpetuation of identity politics and therefore, logical fall-out of caste consolidation as a political agenda. It can be seen gaining more aggressive postures particularly on gaining patronage of the ruling party of the day.

The regressive agenda of caste consolidation has paid more political dividents in recent years by using the Gotra as an emotional tool by the caste panchayats. It is precisely due to the gotra factor that the caste or khap panchayats are deliberately posing same gotra marriages as a major threat to the socio-cultural hierarchy of a particular community. This time again same gotra and same village marriages have been used as a shield in order to defend the ignominy of a most cruel act of murder.

If one goes by their specious argument then why Ved Pal Moan was lynched in Singhwal village of jind district on 23 july 2009 in the presence of police force and a warrant officer of the high court who also was injured. His marriage was neither within the gotra nor within village. The khaps objected to the marriage on the plea that boy and the girl were from the neighbouring villages which was unacceptable according to the customs.

So the demand of amendment of the HMA by prohibiting same gotra and same village marriages would amount to imposition of a social custom followed by a small community also on those regions and communities who have been following different customs in marriages and other social matters. Moreover ,the customs are not something eternal but keep on constantly changing by various social strata, communities, families and individuals with changing life conditions . Further how can anyone force a prospective couple to go for tying a knot only according to the HMA only and not under the Special Marriage Act.
It is a matter of fact that in large parts of Haryana people of some communities do not prefer to marry within the gotra as the cultural notion of brotherhood remains by and large intact .

Traditionally boys and girls of the village community and those belonging to the same gotra are presumed to be brothers and sisters. It is another matter that cases of rapes within the gotra and within the village are not uncommon. But caste panchayats and even the elected panchayats often not only remain tolerant towards cases of rape but they work overtime to stop the aggrieved side from going to the police. They are mostly found defending the culprits and compelling the victims and their families to reach a compromise either at the level of police or turn hostile during the trial in the court. Surprisingly these desperate attempts to prevent the rape cases to be registered in the police also are done under the garb of saving village honour.

They know it well that amendment in the Hindu Marriage act is not only unwarranted but totally impractical as the present legislation is valid for the whole country while the marriage customs are not uniform even in the Haryana what to speak of the entire country as far as so called unacceptability towards same gotra and same village marriages is concerned. But on the contrary a separate law is certainly required against honour crimes. Justification for such legislation is that there is always a deficiency of eye witnesses and other vital evidence needed for conviction of accused who are often none other than the closest relatives of the deceased themselves. It is highly objectionable that Haryana government is opposing the proposed draft legislation against honour crimes mooted by the law ministry and supported by women organisations with AIDWA having made important contribution by submitting a serious draft.

Therefore, the outcry from the khaps etc regarding amendment in the Hindu Marriage Act is nothing but a ploy to protect the patriarchal hegemony and the status quo in which there were deep rooted vested interests of the dominating strata. Raising the bogey of same gotra marriages by posing it as a big threat is shamelessly defending the gruesome murders being committed in the name of honour.

It is true that moral degeneration is pervading fast with the blind consumerism particularly much faster under the neo- liberal dispensation. But this can be countered only by alternative healthy and
progressive social movements and not by strengthening caste and other regressive platforms. The false notion of family or community honour must be deconstructed by notions of real honour which lies in respecting women, an end to discrimination of dalits and minority communities. What is really needed is a very powerful social movement in Haryana and other regions against social evils like casteism ,female foeticide, dowry, alcoholism, drug addiction, vulgarisation of culture and for equal rights of women in parental property.