Dharam Ka Adesh Ya Pyar Ka Sandesh? Faisla Apka!!!

Man attacked over inter-caste marriage (Indian Express, January 5):

"A man was attacked by his brother-in-law late on Friday following a dispute over his inter-caste marriage. An attempt-to-murder case was registered at Yerawada police station. Police said suspect Nitin Kadam's sister married Alok Kamble of Ambedkar Nagar colony in Yerawada about two-and-a-half months ago. The Kadam family was not happy with the inter-caste marriage but Kamble went against their wishes and married Kadam's sister. This led to a dispute between Kamble and Kadam. Police said on Friday angry Kadam allegedly attacked Kamble at Ambedkar Nagar with a sharp weapon around 7 pm."

Father kills girl over affair with man from another caste
(Indian Express, December 27):

"A 45-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly killing his 17-year-old daughter after spotting her with a young man near his house around midnight. The accused was opposed to his daughter's friendship with the young man, who belonged to a different caste.

"According to the police, Jhallar, a farmer, had gone to sleep along with other family members at his house. Around midnight, he woke up for some purpose and realised that one of his four daughters, Anju, was not in the house, the police said.

"Jhallar began looking for her and spotted her with the man at a tubewell, around near the house.

"'The man escaped from the spot, while Jhallar caught hold of his daughter. He brought her to the house and beat her up badly. As the girl fell unconscious, he picked up a gandasa (a sharp agricultural implement) and slit her throat. The girl died on the spot,' Station Officer (Kokhraj) Sri Prakash Yadav said."

Caste shadow over lovers' suicide (Times of India, December 25):

"In a tragic incident here, a boy and a girl hailing from two different intermediate castes in love committed suicide after their parents opposed the relationship.

"A Premkumar, 19, from Othaveedu near Alanganallur was in love with 16-year-old M Vijayalakshmi, from Kumaram, a neighbouring village. The boy was working in a company in Madurai after completing a diploma and the girl was a Class 11 student in a school near Madurai. They reportedly met on the bus they travelled on daily to Madurai and fell in love. Recently, the parents came to know of their relationship and chided them. It was also said that the girl's family was planning to stop her studies and marry her off to someone in the community. Scared that they will be separated, they committed suicide on Monday by hanging from a tamarind tree near a tank adjacent to their villages."

Posted at 02:45 PM in caste, dalits (untouchables), honor killings, women | Permalink | Comments (0)

Honour killing in Haryana: Family kills married girl
(Haryana Tribune, October 29):

"It was an intercaste marrige the victim, Indu, had married her friend Ajay Rohil against her parents wishes. Unhappy with the inter-caste marriage, girl's parents killed her daughter after 16 days of Indu's marriage.Indu was a student of engineering.

"Indu's parents had convinced her in-laws to let her go home with them after the wedding. But they killed her and took the body to the cremation ground cladestinely and consigned it to flames so that the evidence can be destroyed."

Inter-caste love claims 3 lives (Express News Service, October 7):

"A 50-year-old man, who was opposed to the love affair between a youth from a different caste and his relative, shot dead the youth's aunt and father at Avathi village in Mallandur police limits Chikmagalur district on Wednesday night. The man was also killed by the youth and his relatives on the spot."

Young couple found hanging from tree in UP (September 26):

"A young couple was found hanging from a tree in Bhaluwani area of the district, police said on Tuesday.

"[Police] said the couple belonged to different caste and police suspect they committed suicide after failing to get married."

A case of honour killing? (The Hindu, September 22):

"The family members of 19-year-old Suma B., who witnessed the murder of her husband by an armed gang of four on September 6, are alleging that the murder is an honour killing. But, the police differ saying it was the fallout of an eve-teasing row.

"After a month of married happiness, Ms. Suma's dreams were shattered when her husband, Naveen Kumar (23) of Anekal, was hacked to death even as she watched helplessly.

"Suma is yet to come out of the shock. She stopped going to college fearing for her life as she is the sole eye-witness to the murder.

"Married on August 6 this year against her parents' wishes to Naveen, who is from a Dalit family, Ms. Suma now says her husband was killed at the behest of someone who was against their marriage as she is a 'caste' Hindu."

Posted at 02:01 PM in caste, dalits (untouchables), honor killings, inter-caste couples, women | Permalink | Comments (0)

Parents hack girl for loving boy from 'low' caste
(TNN, September 19):

"Parents of a Class X student dragged their girl out of her lover's house early on Monday morning and hacked her to death for continuing with the relationship they vehemently opposed. Neighbours rushed to rescue the girl but by the time she was freed from her parents, uncle and elder brother, it was too late. She died on the spot.

Father, uncle 'kill' 20-yr-old girl for honour, arrested
(The Indian Express, September 14):

"Upset over his 20-year-old daughter's affair with a boy of another caste, a retired army personnel allegedly killed her with the help of his elder brother by asphyxiating her with a pillow on the intervening night of September 11 and 12.

"Inquiry Officer Harpal Singh said the deceased, a resident of Jandiala, was allegedly in a relationship with Sukhdev Singh (21), a resident of Jaanian village, for the past one year. Kaur belonged to Mazhabi Sikh community and her friend was from a Jat Sikh family."

Dalit youth burnt alive in Junagadh (TNN, September 14):

"Tension mounted in Una town of Junagadh district on Thursday after a 27-year-old dalit youth was charred to death by a group of 12 people in Akolali, a village about 25 km from the coastal town.

"The attackers suspected that the youth, Lalji Sarvaiya, had eloped with a girl from their community. The girl had been missing since two days. They came to Lalji's house at around 8am and started asking for his whereabouts. They also threatened his father Kala Sarvaiya to hand over his son or face dire consequences.

"After heated arguments, some people barged into his house while others climbed onto the roof and started breaking it. 'Seeing him sleeping, the attackers closed the main door of the house and those on the roof poured some inflammable liquid on him and set him ablaze. They also tried to set the house on fire but escaped after the commotion,' Dipanker Trivedi, SP, Junagadh, said."

Couple threatened for marrying without parent's wish
(TNN, September 7):

"A youth from Temni village near Gondia was allegedly threatened by the parents of the girl whom he married out of the caste.

"Rajesh Dongre, who married Sarita Neware, was allegedly threatened by her parents and the village sarpanch that they would be killed if they settled in the same village."

Posted at 01:41 PM in caste, dalits (untouchables), honor killings, inter-caste couples, women | Permalink | Comments (0)

PAKISTAN: Enslaved by tradition (IRIN)

"Despite the placing on Pakistan's statute books of tougher laws against thepractice of 'swara' or the 'giving away' of a woman to a rival party to settle a dispute, the tradition continues.

"The women's rights advocacy organization Rahnuma, which guides victims, describes 'swara' as a practice "where a girl is given as an offering to 'settle' a conflict or dispute." The practice is most common in Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa Province (KP) and the southern Punjab, where it is known as 'vani', but also takes place in other parts of the country.

"A 'swara' exchange can be used to settle murder, adultery (a crime under the law), kidnapping or another offence. [...]

"'Yes, the laws have helped but "swara," "vani" and similar practices still go on,' [activist Samar] Minallah told IRIN. 'Estimates based on newspaper reports indicate there are hundreds of cases each year. Of course, there are many others which do not get reported,' she said.

"She also said that tougher laws and arrests made under them had 'led to people disguising the handing over of a woman or girl. The deal is not announced within the community as a "swara" or "vani" marriage, though within the families concerned it is known that the woman has been given away as "swara" and is treated accordingly,' Minallah said.

"While 'swara' brides are wed to the men they are given to, these men are usually far older than the 'brides,' who are often mere children.

"The girls are also usually treated extremely badly or 'like slaves," according to Minallah, in the home of their in-laws.

"'Honour killings'

"Other 'traditional' practices also harm women. According to the autonomous Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRPC), there were 943 'honour killings' in 2011. An 'honour killing,' according to HRCP, involves the murder of a woman who is deemed to have let down her family, or 'dishonoured' it in some way. This can involve an act such as alleged adultery, a marriage decided on by the woman herself or other trivial matters. Couples choosing to wed by choice frequently end up having to go on the run, as in a recent case reported in the media from Karachi in June this year.

"The kinds of threat women face was illustrated by a recent case from the remote Kohistan District of KP where four women were sentenced to death by a local 'jirga' (gathering of tribal elders) after being caught on video clapping as two men unrelated to them danced at a wedding.

"Child marriages

"'Custom' or "tradition" also works against women in other ways.

"According to figures presented at a seminar in Karachi by the Family Planning Association of Pakistan, 30 percent of all marriages in the country are child marriages though the law bars the marriage of a girl under 16 or a boy under 18."