Two more reasons I'm lucky to be born in the United States! Read the two most recent horrors of "honour" killings, sanctioned (encouraged!) by caste councils and local archaic tradition.
Killing For Lesbian Relationship
Two women, widows, reportedly in a same-sex lesbian relationship, were bludgeoned, battered, and beaten to death by the relatives of one in a reported honor killing, while hundreds of their fellow villagers looked on. No one came to the aid of the two women, who lived in the Ranila village of Haryana, India.
“We have killed them as they were spoiling the image of our family and bringing a bad name to our community. It was necessary to save the honor of our family,” one of the confessed murderers told police.
Police stated, “The accused were suspicious about the women’ character and had also threatened the villagers of dire consequences if anyone dared to save them,” adding that one of the men “is already a convict in a rape case and he was out of jail on parole.” The women, who bled to death as the villagers watched, were accused of being lesbians.
“The bodies were lying unattended in the open and nobody had touched them till the arrival of police,” said police.
The victims were 35, the mother of an eight-year-old girl, and 40, the mother of a 15-year-old boy, according to a report.
In an unrelated case, India’s Supreme court termed honor killings “barbaric and shameful” today.
“We are of the opinion that this is wholly illegal and has to be ruthlessly stamped out. There is nothing honorable in honor killing or other atrocities and, in fact, it is nothing but barbaric and shameful murder,” India Supreme Court Justice Katju said. “Other atrocities in respect of personal lives of people committed by brutal, feudal-minded persons deserve harsh punishment.”
Honor killings have reportedly been on the rise in parts of India.
New Delhi, June 14 (PTI) In a case of honour killing, a 19-year old girl and her boyfriend were tortured for hours before being finally put to death by electrocution at the north-west Delhi residence of her uncle today. Asha Saini and Yogesh Kumar were brutally beaten up and finally put to death by electrocution at her uncle’s place where she had been staying for the last one month, a senior police official said. The girl’s family was opposed to the match, he said.
Asha and Yogesh (21) were found dead with multiple stab injuries in the house on street number-3 of Swaroop Nagar area this morning, police said.
The girl’s uncle and other members of his family are untraceable since the incident which came to light after neighbours informed the police on seeing the bodies on the premises of the house, they said.