Can Crime Protect Honor?

India is known as the land which earned independence through non-violence and peace. The

father of our nation propagated the idea of peace and harmony among the people of the country.

The nation stands out for its diversity in language, culture, and tradition. The evolution in

mindsets over the years has helped it find a significant place in the world map. Crime rates in

India have risen over the years. But there are still certain crimes which remain unreported. Honor

killings, a form of homicide widely practiced in the country, are among those crimes which are

not reported. The celebrated diversity of India faces a great level of intolerance, especially in

marriage. With different customs and traditions for different castes, the young minds are put in a

dilemma to pick between custom and their preference.

Unpublicized cases

Each year honor killings are reported in different parts of the country but no data is available to

prove its intensity. These crimes do not reach the concerned authorities and even if they are

reported, the action is not taken. Instead, the complainant is threatened and provoked to

withdraw the complaint. This issue is thought to have been confined to just a particular state or

region. But the death of a young engineering student, V. Shankar in Tamil Nadu eliminates this

misconception too. In the majority of honor killing cases, women are the victim. The patriarchal

society has stamped a family’s honor in its women. From 1970, various organizations, political

parties and individuals have tried to politicize the issue of violence against women. In the 2010

monsoon session of Parliament, a set of recommendations called “The Indian Penal Code and

Certain Other Laws Amendment Bill 2010” was referred to the Law of Ministry. The main issue

that needed to be addressed was the crimes related to honor which has received least attention

from the authorities.

Denial by Authorities

Governments have displayed least interest in the crimes under the name of honor. Crime is not

clearly defined and hence there is no legal recognition also. Lack of protection exists to couples

who choose their partners for themselves. Even though India is described as a nation with liberty,

the conservative nature of the country is projected in case of such events. Proper data or statistics

are not available due to lack of legal recognition. National Crime Records Bureau has no crimes

of honor. During the time of Vajpayee government, such crimes were denied to have occurred in

India but in Islamic countries. After five years, the subject became the topic of discussion in the

Parliament. In July 2009, members of the Parliament claimed for a separate law. P.

Chidambaram, the then home minister, rejected the idea of a separate law citing it to be a

“simple demand”.

In August 2010, a comprehensive law titled “The Prevention of Crimes in the Name of Honour

and Tradition Bill” was drafted and presented to the government by the legal division of All

India Democratic Women’s Association with the help many other women’s organizations and

common people. The bill states the rights of liberty and freedom of young persons in relation to

choosing their partner for marriage. Various preventive measures, types of crimes and degrees of

punishments are also mentioned.

The role played by khap panchayats and other bodies in protecting the convicts and lack of

accountability of police and administration is also specified. Despite the push from all these

organizations, the bill was not forwarded. In 2012, Law Commission of India brought out its own

version of the bill entitled “Prohibition of Unlawful Assembly (Interference with the Freedom of

Matrimonial Alliances) Bill, 2011”. But specification was made against unlawful assemblies

only. Though honor killings happen through illegal assemblies like Khap panchayats, they occur

in the absence of their interference too. Under the Modi government, Law minister Sadananda

Gowda considers that such a law will be misused like Section 498A which relates to dowry

harassment and domestic violence. Governments have failed in framing a law mainly in the fear

of losing votes. Khap Panchayats and other illegal groups are prevalent in rural India which

decides the fate of every political party. The lack of data regarding these crimes has reduced its

seriousness among people.

Higher intolerance, less peace

Mahatma Gandhi once said, "Where there is love, there is life". India he had dreamt about had

people live in peace and harmony with love ruling the minds of people. Unfortunately, love has

become the reason for the death of many people now. The unique diversity of India is always

boasted about with numerous religions and castes and yet we as a nation are portrayed to be

living in harmony. Intolerance is considered as a word in the dictionary only. But the real

situation is totally different from this fancy nation we portray to the outside world. On a regular

basis, men and women are tortured and killed under the name of honor. No specific law is

designated to this crime in our law books. It took fourteen years for Nitish Kataria to receive

justice from our judicial system. Yet there remain cases like that of Priyanka Todi, where the

culprits were family and the moral binding gained greater importance than truth. The irony of the

situation is, children are taught the importance of love, peace, and harmony on one side, while on

the other side people like Nitish Kataria and V. Shankar are killed under the name of love only.

The interesting turn to the story of love is when honor takes the role of villain and fight begins.

Since real life is not like all the Bollywood movies, where hero-heroine end up together, death

rates take a high toll here. The truth that the guardians of traditions and customs need to realize

is, there is no honor in killing.