Honour killings still go on in AP

VISAKHAPATNAM: The recent murder of a woman named Hemavanthi by her parents in the outskirts of Usarapeta under

Palamaner

mandal area in Chittoor district has exposed the fact that the scourge of

honour killings

still persists in Andhra Pradesh.


Every year, at least two to four incidents of honour killing come to light in the state. People are murdered when they choose to marry outside their caste or partake in inter-caste romantic relationships. Moreover, many incidents of honour killing do not even get reported.

National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data shows that two honour killings took place in Andhra Pradesh in 2016. While the NCRB is yet to release its data for 2017 and 2018, leaders of various women organisations believe that at least eight honour killings have taken place in the state over the last two years.

In July 2016, 20-year-old K Krishnaveni, a resident of Kosigi village in Chittoor district, was murdered by her parents for being in a romantic relationship with a man of a different caste.

In 2018, a woman named Indraja, who belonged to an upper caste family in Vijayawada area was in a romantic relationship with a Dalit man and had planned to marry him. Consequently, she too was murdered by her family members.

Speaking to TOI, M Sujatha, a member of All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) said that the youth should promote love

marriages

in order to eradicate the caste system. “However, some politicians have been dividing people on caste and religious lines for their selfish goals,” she added.

Senior advocate K Muralidhar said that inter-caste marriages still remain a distant dream for young couples. “There is no dedicated law to deal with honour killing in our country and the police file cases under Section 302 (murder) or Section 299 (culpable homicide,” he said.

Muralidhar further said that just as the Roop Kanwar incident led to the introduction of a Sati (Prevention) Act, 1987, the government should introduce an act to deal with honour killings.

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