Indian village proud after double honor killing

[Rogue 9]

Reuters

Indian village proud after double "honor killing"
Fri May 16, 2008 5:46pm EDT

By Simon Denyer

BALLA, India (Reuters) - Five armed men burst into the small room and courtyard at dawn, just as 21-year-old, 22-week pregnant, Sunita was drying her face on a towel.

They punched and kicked her stomach as she called out for her sleeping boyfriend "Jassa", 22-year-old Jasbir Singh, witnesses said. When he woke, both were dragged into waiting cars, driven away and strangled.

Their bodies, half-stripped, were laid out on the dirt outside Sunita's father's house for all to see, a sign that the family's "honor" had been restored by her cold-blooded murder.

A week later, the village of Balla, just a couple of hours drive from India's capital New Delhi, stands united behind the act, proud, defiant almost to a man.

Among the Jat caste of the conservative northern state of Haryana, it is taboo for a man and woman of the same village to marry. Although the couple were not related, they were seen in this deeply traditional society as brother and sister.

"From society's point of view, this is a very good thing," said 62-year-old farmer Balwan Arya, sitting smoking a hookah in the shade of a tree in a square with other elders from the village council or panchayat. "We have removed the blot."

Growing economic opportunities for young people and lower castes in Haryana have made "love marriages" more common, experts say, and the violent repression of them has risen in tandem as upper caste Jat men fight to hold on to power, status and property.

Sunita's father Om Prakash has confessed to murdering his pregnant daughter and her boyfriend, police told Reuters. An uncle and two cousins were among four others arrested.

But in Balla many people believe the father confessed merely to underline that he supported his daughter's killing, to satisfy honor and protect the real culprits among his family or village.

At their house, Sunita's mother did not emerge to talk. Instead, a young man on a motorbike tried to intimidate the Reuters team into leaving. It turned out he was another of Sunita's cousins, his father and brother held by police.

"We are not ashamed of it, absolutely not, we have the honor of doing the village proud," he said.

"We would not have had a face to show if we had not done this. It was the act of 'real men'."

THE POWER OF UPPER CASTE MEN

The relatively prosperous northern state of Haryana is one of India's most conservative when it comes to caste, marriage and the role of women. Deeply patriarchal, caste purity is paramount and marriages are arranged to sustain the status quo.

Men and women are still murdered across the villages of northern India for daring to marry outside their caste, but in Haryana the practice is widespread, and widely supported.

Here, women veil their faces with scarves in public. The illegal abortion of female fetuses is common, the ratio of women to men in Haryana just 861 to 1,000, the lowest in the country.

Anyone who transgresses social codes, by marrying across caste boundaries or within the same village, is liable to meet the same fate as Sunita and Jasbir.

Many such murders are never reported, hardly any result in prosecution, says Professor Javeed Alam, chairman of the Indian Council of Social Science Research.

"People from the same village are treated as siblings in Haryana," he said. "So this is treated as incest."

Without any law to prohibit this kind of marriage, "the only way you can punish it is by taking the law into your own hands. People believe people who commit incest should be killed".

Nor do politicians ever renounce the practice, Alam added, because if they did, "they would not win elections".

And the legalization of property rights for women in 1956 made love marriages within a village even more dangerous for this elite, as daughters living close to home could in theory claim a part of the family land, sociologist Prem Chowdhry says.

CHILDHOOD SWEETHEARTS

Sunita and Jasbir, sweethearts in the same class at school, had little chance. When he left school a couple of years before her to become an photographer's apprentice, he would often hang around at the school gates to collect her.

She was married off to another man, but left her husband to elope with Jasbir a year-and-a-half ago, and while the families tried to keep them apart, they realized it was a losing battle.

"They were madly in love even to the last day," said Jasbir's 16-year-old sister-in-law Lalita in the house where they lived in Machhroli village, around 35 km (20 miles) by road from Balla.

To make matters worse, Jasbir was from a lower sub-caste, and she was pregnant outside marriage. Sunita's parents in Balla found themselves virtually ostracized.

"Nobody would drink water in our house," Sunita's mother Roshni is reported to have said. "My daughter's action made us aliens in our own land. But we have managed to redeem our honor. She paid for her ill-gotten action."

But among Jasbir's family, split between Machhroli and Balla, grief is mixed with fear.

"Why are you talking to the media?" shouted a female family member at one point. "This will only bring more trouble."

At the small police post in Balla, a constable admitted the case was unlikely to ever reach prosecution, with the village putting enormous pressure on the police, and especially Jasbir's family, to quietly drop the case.

"We are being pressurized into reaching an agreement, a compromise, without even being given time to grieve," said Jasbir's 25-year-old sister Neelam. "We have been told that if we don't compromise, we will suffer the same fate."

In the narrow alleyway outside their tiny house, women wailed in grief. A few hundred yards away, the panchayat sat in quiet self-satisfaction.

"The people who have done this should get an award for it," said 48-year-old Satvir Singh. "This was a murder of morality."

The famous words of General Sir Charles James Napier come inexorably to mind.

[K. A. Pital]

Ahh, Third World cultural customs, in their unique flavour. Always amazing.

[darthbob88]

The famous words of General Sir Charles James Napier come inexorably to mind.

For those few that don't recognize it, Adrian refers to a quote by Governor-General of India Napier, to the effect that "You say that it is your custom to burn widows. Very well. We also have a custom: when men burn a woman alive, we tie a rope around their necks and we hang them. Build your funeral pyre; beside it, my carpenters will build a gallows. You may follow your custom. And then we will follow ours."

[darthbob88]

Ghetto edit: He was not Governor-General, apparently. He was Commander-in-Chief, though, and was a respected general. Wikipedia.

[TithonusSyndrome]

"We would not have had a face to show if we had not done this. It was the act of 'real men'."

Yeah, you're real big fucking men for murdering an innocent woman and sating your hypersensitive sense of "honor" while you huff and puff through flared nostrils and clench your beet-red fists. I really admire you now, you big alpha specimens, I swoon and quiver at the mention of your names.

I honestly have to say that Hinduism might be the religion I hate most. Not only is it a prime example of the oft-cited Thar mentality but the whole fucking premise - that the world is a vast mirage - is more polarized to empiricism than any other religion anywhere, and the drug culture obviously picked this premise up from them. I'd sooner join any other religion than Hinduism, bar none.

[Eulogy]

So when will the gunmen and assorted murder supporters be hanged?

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

So when will the gunmen and assorted murder supporters be hanged?

When the police there ever grows a spine...

[TithonusSyndrome]

So when will the gunmen and assorted murder supporters be hanged?

When the police there ever grows a spine...

For that matter, I suspect that Indian law is not especially inclined to prosecute this sort of thing and may even subtly encourage it. Just my gut, mind you, but it wouldn't shock me.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

For that matter, I suspect that Indian law is not especially inclined to prosecute this sort of thing and may even subtly encourage it. Just my gut, mind you, but it wouldn't shock me.

Actually, the problem rather, is that the police is probably afraid of confronting a mob of pitch forks, and also the caste issue was one that never went away and even the police isn't free of it.

There was an incident a while back when a middle class family spent 2 years or so kidnapping and killing outcaste children, i.e. people who won't be missed too much beyond the beggar or something.

Then when they were found out, at least more than 10 children has since died. The reason being that the police didn't bother to act on the fears of several parents who incidentally were outcaste, and then the situation was allowed to fester for many years.

The felons were charged of course, but clearly the police didn't do their jobs and didn't want to.

[Eulogy]

For that matter, I suspect that Indian law is not especially inclined to prosecute this sort of thing and may even subtly encourage it. Just my gut, mind you, but it wouldn't shock me.

Actually, the problem rather, is that the police is probably afraid of confronting a mob of pitch forks, and also the caste issue was one that never went away and even the police isn't free of it.

There was an incident a while back when a middle class family spent 2 years or so kidnapping and killing outcaste children, i.e. people who won't be missed too much beyond the beggar or something.

Then when they were found out, at least more than 10 children has since died. The reason being that the police didn't bother to act on the fears of several parents who incidentally were outcaste, and then the situation was allowed to fester for many years.

The felons were charged of course, but clearly the police didn't do their jobs and didn't want to.

So let me guess: the bereaved families didn't kill the subhuman murderers yet?

[Buddha]

I had no idea that this was a practice done by Hinduism at any time period , much less modern times. Killing is never justified in any way, but this proves that even today we see problems that are thousands of years old. Hinduism wasn't started by hippies, people. It was human beings who started the religion and the problems come from human issues. Buddhism was an attempt to amend some of the more barbaric practices such as this. Widows chose to fling themselves upon their dying husbands. This was cold blooded murder at the worst. Unfortunently for them India is not Pakistan and they will be punished in a real unforgettable way.

[Winston Blake]

Nor do politicians ever renounce the practice, Alam added, because if they did, "they would not win elections".

See, this is because it's not true democracy. In a true democracy, everything is fair and all wrongs are righted.

[Phantasee]

The fact that they are Jats in Haryana, and the fact the boy's name was Singh, makes me believe they aren't Hindus, but Sikhs. I would like to point out that our scriptures prohibit this sort of "honour" killing, but it's been a recent trend in India to not give a fuck about scripture. It's also been noted that most of the community overseas is more religious than the members still in India.

Haryana used to be part of the state of Punjab, before the Indian government split it off to weaken Punjab (more than half of Punjabs land was partitioned into Pakistan, as well).


It's a goddamn shame, what happened, though. Overly touchy sense of "honour" is right. If anyone tried this shit in my family, I'd take the first flight there to teach them a lesson in real honour. Fucking ignorant bastards.

[Phantasee]

Nor do politicians ever renounce the practice, Alam added, because if they did, "they would not win elections".

See, this is because it's not true democracy. In a true democracy, everything is fair and all wrongs are righted.

Right...or did you forget that Hamas was elected democratically?

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Honour killings and what not are pretty prevalent in the slumps, the outlying villages and what not in India. What is rare, is that news of it even comes out. We are talking about a culture of male dominance and caste and bigotry that has been such for centuries.

[ArmorPierce]

Nor do politicians ever renounce the practice, Alam added, because if they did, "they would not win elections".

See, this is because it's not true democracy. In a true democracy, everything is fair and all wrongs are righted.

Right...or did you forget that Hamas was elected democratically?

I'm pretty sure he was being sarcastic

[Sidewinder]

So let me guess: the bereaved families didn't kill the subhuman murderers yet?

The bereaved families belong to a lower caste, which means they have less money to throw around, e.g., hire gunmen to kill the murderers and bribe the police to look the other way; and those who do have such money to throw around, i.e., those of higher castes, don't give a damn.

It's immoral, but the golden rule of "He who has the gold, makes the rules" applies despite our best efforts to move beyond it.

[speaker-to-trolls]

So let me guess: the bereaved families didn't kill the subhuman murderers yet?

Keep in mind that most of the village supported this action, and that could well include the bereaved families, well, the daughters family anyway. It's pretty much impossible to get our heads around this kind of thinking, but in societies like these your family and communities honour can be more important than the lives of your loved ones.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

So let me guess: the bereaved families didn't kill the subhuman murderers yet?

If there was any consolation, the people involved were given the harshest sentences involved, albeit too late.

[Glocksman]

The famous words of General Sir Charles James Napier come inexorably to mind.

For those few that don't recognize it, Adrian refers to a quote by Governor-General of India Napier, to the effect that "You say that it is your custom to burn widows. Very well. We also have a custom: when men burn a woman alive, we tie a rope around their necks and we hang them. Build your funeral pyre; beside it, my carpenters will build a gallows. You may follow your custom. And then we will follow ours."

Heh..
That's been in my sig for a while.

As far the people of that village goes, those who regret the loss I have sympathy for.
Those who feel 'she earned it' can go rot in fucking Hell.

[Rogue 9]

The famous words of General Sir Charles James Napier come inexorably to mind.

For those few that don't recognize it, Adrian refers to a quote by Governor-General of India Napier, to the effect that "You say that it is your custom to burn widows. Very well. We also have a custom: when men burn a woman alive, we tie a rope around their necks and we hang them. Build your funeral pyre; beside it, my carpenters will build a gallows. You may follow your custom. And then we will follow ours."

My name is Adrian now?

[darthbob88]

The famous words of General Sir Charles James Napier come inexorably to mind.

For those few that don't recognize it, Adrian refers to a quote by Governor-General of India Napier, to the effect that "You say that it is your custom to burn widows. Very well. We also have a custom: when men burn a woman alive, we tie a rope around their necks and we hang them. Build your funeral pyre; beside it, my carpenters will build a gallows. You may follow your custom. And then we will follow ours."

My name is Adrian now?

I looked at the avatar and not the name, and your avatar, if you squint and look sideways, does look like Adrians. See this kids? That's what happens when you post without sleep, you make stupid mistakes like I did. What *Rogue* is referring to is....

[Maxentius]

It's the worst kind of irony that the Special Victims Unit episode pertaining to honor killings in Afghanistan was on last night.

I find traditions and actions like this despicable in every sense. Though I must ask, does anyone know if this is more a product of the family's religion, or a cultural thing? The discourse in this thread vis a vis Hinduism and Sikhs has made me curious.

[Darth Wong]

Question: why do we always call them "honour killings" when they're done in the east, but when "sinners" are killed in Africa or South America or (in past centuries) in Europe, we call them "lynchings" instead?

[Maxentius]

Question: why do we always call them "honour killings" when they're done in the east, but when "sinners" are killed in Africa or South America or (in past centuries) in Europe, we call them "lynchings" instead?

I'd say it has something to do with political correctness. I've noticed a vague trend recently that attempts to be 'subjective' when it comes to branding Middle Eastern traditions and culture as anything less than savory, even though the resulting actions are quite obviously atrocious abuses of basic human rights. In America, at the very least, there seems to be a recent fad that insulting long-standing cultural institutions is somehow less than kosher, and that instead dismissing them as ludicrous, superstitions and plain atrocious, we should try to 'understand' them instead.

Personally, I don't see what there is to understand beyond the fact that this woman and her husband were executed by an extra-judicial mob.