Recently, a case of honour killing was reported from Telangana where the man was murdered by his father-in-law because he belonged to Dalit community. So, what is the definition of honour killing? Honour killing can be defined as the homicide of the member of a family or social group by other members due to the belief of the perpetrators that the victim has brought dishonour upon the family or community.
Unfortunately, this culture is still ubiquitous in India. Sociologists believe that the reason why honour killings continue to take place is that of the continued rigidity of the caste system. Disregarding interfaith marriages, people are still impervious towards inter-caste marriages. It is a fallacy that honour killings are only practised in rural areas. Even in urban areas where the people are educated this mentality prevails. It is baffling how a person’s status and respect in a society is more important than their child’s happiness. Uprooting this mentality of associating such marriages with stigma is a long and difficult process. To control the choices a person makes and imposing your beliefs on them is atrocious. We need stringent laws for this heinous crime which cannot be pardoned.
