Honor Killing

A backup car somewhere in the rear and the bike-borne assailants in the front came for a woman of 18, Mamta by name, who walked towards the district court complex, to testify of her willingness to marry a man from another caste. The assailants pumped two bullets into her chest.

This practice of killing, to separate lovers, is known by the euphemism called 'Honor Killing'. Haryana, unfortunately, is notorious for low sex ratios and endemic mistreatment of women and yes, honor killing, regrettably, is hardly a new phenomenon.

Mamta was from the Jat-dominated settlement of Gaddi Kheri, in India's Haryana. While her husband Sunil hailed from another place called Singhpura. The two places had denied permission for her funeral.

Had she testified successfully, her husband, who was imprisoned on the charge of kidnapping her, could have come out of jail. With her husband still in jail, her mortal body had to be cremated by her distant relative from another place other than Gaddi Kheri and Singhpura.

According to police sources, the conspiracy to kill Mamta was hatched a month ago and two gunmen were hired for the murder at the cost of Rs 7 lakhs. The couple had eloped in August last year. They reached Delhi and showed up at a temple called Arya Samaj Mandir, on 24 August 2017, to tie the knot as husband and wife. 4 persons from Mamta's family had been held responsible for her death.

References

Jat woman who married Dalit shot dead outside Rohtak court, 4 of family held