The Tribune – Honour killings: Supreme Court summons Haryana top cop, two SPs

R Sedhuraman, Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, January 4. The Supreme Court today summoned the Haryana Director General of Police (Law and Order) and the Superintendents of Police of Rohtak and Jind districts in a case relating to checking honour killings of young couples involved in same “gotra” or inter-caste marriages at the instance of khap panchayats.

A Bench comprising Justices Aftab Alam and Ranjana Desai asked the three police officials to be present in the court at the next hearing of the case on January 14. It also summoned the SP of Baghpat district in Uttar Pradesh.

The Bench asked the PIL petitioner, Shakti Vahini, to contact the Sarb and Meham Choubisi khap panchayats of Rohtak and Jind districts and ask them whether they would like to present their views on matrimony and other community issues in which they interfered. It directed advocate Ravi Kant, counsel for the petitioner, to convey its sentiments to the two khap panchayats.

“We are open and willing to hear their views in the matter,” the Bench said. It also asked Additional Advocate General Manjit Singh Dalal to communicate its order to the three police officials.

The Bench passed the order after expressing its desire to put in place pilot projects in Rohtak, Jind and Baghpat, the worst affected districts, to check crimes against women as recommended by senior advocate Raju Ramachandran, appointed as amicus curiae to help the SC in disposing of the PIL.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130105/main2.htm

The Hindu – Post-protests, S.K. Mathur removed as Saharanpur DIG

His comment on honour killings comes under flak

Atiq Khan

Lucknow, 11 May 2012. Following an uproar by women’s organisations and political parties over an objectionable comment made by Saharanpur Deputy Inspector-General S.K. Mathur, the Akhilesh Yadav government removed the senior IPS officer from his post on Thursday. But the action came 48 hours after the officer he made a remark reportedly justifying honour killings.

The DIG has been attached to the DG Police office and Bhola Nath Singh has been sent in his place to Saharanpur. Also transferred was Sant Kabir Nagar Superintendent of Police Dharmendra Kumar, who had also passed some uncharitable comments which lowered the dignity of women. Mr. Kumar has been sent to the Provincial Arm Constabulary, Gonda.

In all, 21 IPS officers, including Mr. Mathur and Mr. Kumar, were moved in a police reshuffle by the State government on Thursday.

Action was taken against Mr. Mathur for telling a complainant during a routine inspection in Saharanpur on Tuesday that had he (the DIG) been in his place he would have shot his own sister for eloping, or would have shot himself. The comment was made when a person had come to file a complaint about the elopement of his sister with a youth. Mr. Mathur’s comment was flayed for its anti-women slant and one which supported the inhuman practice of honour killings. In fact, Western Uttar Pradesh and the area adjoining Haryana are notorious for this practice.

Sant Kabir Nagar district police chief Dharmendra Kumar was caught on camera while stating: “Apradhiyon ke peechhe hum bhagenge ya ki ladkiyon ke peechhe [Should the police catch criminals, or recover girls who had eloped.]” His remarks made during a routine meeting with local persons were made in respect to the cases of kidnapping of girls in the district and were seen as an attempt to lower the dignity of women, especially young girls.

Serious issue: Akhilesh

An indication that action would be taken soon was given by the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Akhilesh Yadav at the City Montessori School, where he had gone to address a Teachers’ Thanksgiving function earlier in the day. Referring to the comment made by Mr. Mathur, Mr. Yadav said action would be taken against the officer if he was found guilty. He said it was a “serious issue” and an inquiry was being conducted.

Aware of the deteriorating law and order and crime situation in the State since he took over as the Chief Minister and the damage caused to his government by his own party men, Mr. Yadav said strict action would be taken against those who indulged in lawlessness and crime, even if they belonged to the Samajwadi Party.

Home Secretary Deepak Kumar said at the routine briefing of his department that the government had taken a serious view of the comment made by the police officer. Mr. Kumar said the government was committed to upholding the dignity and honour of women.

The National Commission for Women (NCW) and the Opposition parties demanded that the police officer be suspended as his remark amounted to supporting the cause of honour killing.

Mr. Yadav warned police officers that they would be taken to task if they failed to redress people’s grievances. “Capable police officers will be given full opportunity to perform, but irresponsible officers will not remain in their posts,” he said.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article3405369.ece

The Asian Age – Shock, outrage as DIG ‘backs’ honour killings

Asian Ager Correspondents

Lucknow/New Delhi, 10 May 2012. Shocking and irresponsible remarks by a state minister and a senior IPS officer left the Akhilesh Yadav government in Uttar Pradesh severely embarrassed.

Durga Prasad Yadav, UP minister for stamp, court fees and registration, made the profound statement that “even God would not be able to control crime” in Uttar Pradesh. This was in Gorakhpur hours after a man was killed in a shootout between underworld gangs. “Crime will continue even if God forms a government in UP,” he said.

Soon afterwards a senior police official was caught on camera endorsing honour killings. Saharanpur DIG Satish Kumar Mathur told a father who had come to seek help to get back his abducted daughter that if his own sister had eloped “I would have killed her… or else I would have committed suicide myself”.

This insensitive remark has caused shock and outrage in several quarters, with National Commission of Women chief Mamta Sharma saying the state government should suspend the officer, and order an investigation.

Activist Ranjana Kumari demanded the DIG be put behind the bars as “this amounts to abetment of suicide and encouraging honour killings”.

Additional DGP (law and order) Jagmohan Yadav said in Lucknow the DIG denied having made the remark, and that if he had “action will be taken”.

http://www.asianage.com/india/shock-outrage-dig-backs-honour-killings-468

507.Guru’s concept of marriage

In this column I am going to disagree with many of my fellow Sikhs, because their conservative Panjabi instincts prevent them understanding Guru’s enlightened vision.

Somebody wrote some time ago that God is male, as Purkh (as in Akál Purkh) comes from Purusha, which means man. Going by the dictionary this correct, but following this logic would mean that God is a male human being.

Guru teaches that God is my Mother and Father, but that also does not mean that God is a male or female human. Creator Being is a sensible interpretation of Akál Purkh. This ‘Purkh’ is many facetted and has both female and male aspects.

Somebody wrote that marriage is the most important Sikh institution. This article is not concerned with the Rehat Maryada, but with God’s word as found in the Guru Granth, the Guru that brings light in our spiritual darkness. Marriage in the Guru Granth is not an institution.

In our eternal Guru God is the Groom of all human beings. Marriage to this Groom is a spiritual bond, and playing on the couch with God is a metaphor for having spiritual intercourse with God. All humans, male and female, are God’s brides.

The beautiful Shabads that we call the Lavans and that are sung and recited during the Anand Karaj ceremony are NOT about the marriage of two humans, but about the spiritual union with God as described above.

The essence of this marriage is neither sexuality nor procreation, but getting closer and closer to the God-Groom. Each verse represents a step in this process. This nearness to the God-Groom results in anand, bliss.

This is what we share with a Sufi like Farid, a Bhagat like Ravidas and with medieval European mystics like Julian of Norwich, Hadewijch or Meister Eckhart.

Even where Guru writes about the human marriage he writes about being two bodies and one soul. Otherwise we are warned not to get attached to wife and children, as you cannot take them with you to the next life.

I see no reason to narrow down the spiritual idea of marriage to something that can only happen between a male and a female, as this is not based on Gurmat.

On the practical side I think that the state should not get involved in marrying people. There should be a model or models for long term relationships between people, regulating things like joint ownership, inheritance etc. The spiritual side cannot be institutionalised; it is not the state’s business.

What God thinks of homosexuality ? I do not think that God thinks or has opinions, ‘God is’, She/He is not human. But I would expect that Dharm Raj will look at the whole picture without being obsessed with sexuality as social conservatives are. Some Sikhs who are against homosexuality would condone honour-killings…

The Hindu – Minorities bear the brunt in Pakistan

Anita Joshua

Islamabad, 22 March 2012. In a telling statement on the growing intolerance, the State of Human Rights in 2011 report of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) shows that 389 members of various Muslim sects were killed last year. This includes 100 Hazara Shias in targeted attacks in Balochistan alone.

By virtue of being the biggest non-Sunni Muslim sect in the country, Shias accounted for the largest number of those killed but, according to the HRCP report released here on Thursday, Ahmadis — declared non-Muslims by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto — remained the “target of hate speech, violence, discrimination and, when their faith was known, of social segregation”.

Billed by HRCP as the most vulnerable of all minority groups — Hindus included — the report noted with concern the inaction by the authorities to evident efforts to incite hatred toward Ahmadis. Referring to the posters and wall-chalking slamming Ahmadis and their faith, the report states: “This occurred to such an extent that it was impossible for the authorities to not notice these campaigns and yet they failed to act.”

As for the Hindus, several incidents of violence and intimidation were reported including abduction and subsequent forced conversion of girls. As per HRCP count, 151 Pakistani Hindus — often referred to as ‘Indians’ — sought asylum in India claiming that their lives would be in danger if sent back. “They had been arrested for staying in India after their visas had expired. In December, the Delhi High Court sought a response from the Indian Government by the end of February 2012 and asked it not to deport the Hindus to Pakistan until then.”

What reflected a “new low in intolerance” in Pakistan, according to HRCP, was the case of a Christian class eight student being accused of blasphemy for a spelling mistake in her examination. “The spelling error led to her expulsion from school and had the local clerics howling for her blood.”

Besides flagging the incidents, the HRCP report laments the failure to do away with discriminatory laws including the constitutional provision barring non-Muslims from key government positions. Stating that the only voice on the blasphemy issue was that of the extremists, the Commission noted that instead of abandoning the promise of revising and improving the law, the government should create consensus on the need to reform it by highlighting the toll that the misuse of this law has taken on Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

Another startling figure provided in the report pertained to honour killings. At least 943 women, including 93 minors, were killed in the name of honour. What’s more, honour killings appeared to be religion-neutral as the dead included seven Christians and two Hindus.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article3155627.ece

Tribune Exclusive – How Haryana changed its mind on honour crime laws

Aditi Tandon, Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 30 Last November, Haryana took a position before the Supreme Court, currently hearing the honour killing petition, that it agreed with the Centre in amending existing laws to ensure strict action against those involved in honour crimes. A few months down the line, the state took a new position, dissociating itself from the pro-Centre stand it had taken earlier.

The Tribune has in its possession two sets of affidavits that Haryana had filed in the Supreme Court in connection with the ongoing writ petition on honour killings, filed in June 2010 by community-based organisation Shakti Vahini.

In its first affidavit, the state said to the court that it supported Centre’s stand to amend existing statutes and allow stringent legal action against the perpetrators (often khap panchayat members, apart from families of victims). Later, it went back on its position and sought court’s permission to withdraw the old affidavit and file a fresh one in which it had deleted the reference to its agreement with the Centre on changes to the laws to stop honour crimes.

The first affidavit (dated November 30, 2010) was filed by BS Sandhu, Additional Director General Police, Law and Order, Haryana. It listed steps the state was taking to protect runaway couples. In the end, the affidavit explicitly mentions, “In addition to these steps, the state government fully agrees with the Central Government for amendment to the Evidence Act, the IPC, the CrPC and the Special Marriage Act in order to take strict legal action against the accused involved in cases of killing of runaway couples and to prevent harassment of couples.”

However, on April 26 this year, Kamal Mohan Gupta, counsel for the state of Haryana, approached the court, requesting for permission to withdraw the November 30, 2010, affidavit and file a new one. The court allowed a counter-affidavit but placed both affidavits (with contradictory positions) on record. The new affidavit was also filed by BS Sandhu.

The Centre, which had constituted a Group of Ministers on honour crimes, had earlier proposed making honour killings a separate offence under the IPC to bring clarity to law enforcement agencies. Another proposal was to amend the Indian Evidence Act to put the burden of proof on the accused, which means khap panchayats and family members who perpetrated killings would have to prove their innocence.

An amendment was also being conceived for joint liability of the killer and perpetrator. Another change to the Special Marriages Act was being proposed to reduce the cooling off period before a marriage is registered. The period currently is one month.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20111201/main7.htm

The Tribune – Haven for inter-caste couples reels under financial crunch

Balwant Garg, Tribune News Service

Faridkot, October 25. Six months after the Punjab Government started providing protection and boarding to inter-caste couples in government rest houses, the district administration in Faridkot finds itself in a piquant situation.

While the state government is not releasing any funds for boarding and lodging of these couples, their stay in the state government rest houses apparently makes for financial burden on the district administration.

In the last five months, 14 couples reached Faridkot to seek protection and stayed in Sainik and PWD rest houses.

While the stay of these couples, up to 25 days in some cases, escorted by police guards in the rest houses, created a space problem for government guests, another problem area is provision of food to these couples and the police guards accompanying them.

As there is no financial provision to foot these bills, some revenue officials are bearing the expenses, hoping there would be reimbursement by the state government.

But the chances of reimbursement look bleak. In the last two months, the Faridkot Deputy Commissioner’s office has written three letters to the Home Affairs and Justice Department Punjab for payment of the bills, but so far, there has been no response.

“We are hopeful of getting the funds in the coming days,” said Ravi Bhagat, DC Faridkot.

“So far, there is no provision of funds for payment towards boarding and lodging for these couples, so we have written to the state government,” said the DC.

D S Bains, Principal Secretary, Home Affairs and Justice Punjab, said he was not aware of the problem.

“I don’t know whether the state government is supposed to bear the food expenses for the stay of the couples in the government rest houses. Until I go through the Punjab and Haryana High Court orders, I can’t comment on this issue,” he said.

The scenario follows many honour killings in Haryana and Punjab and many inter-caste couples rushing to the High Court, seeking police security to escape the wrath of their family members.

To prevent honour killings, in March 2011, the High Court had directed the state government to provide protection to such couples. The protection umbrella includes provision of accommodation at government rest houses and police protection to save them from any attack by their relatives or family members.

Another problem area for the district administration is shortage of space for government guests. “While eight rooms of Circuit Rest House in Faridkot have already been allotted to the Commissioner’s Office for official work, the long stay of newly wed couples has further created space shortage for government guests,” said a supervisor.

A senior officer in Home Affairs and Justice Department in Chandigarh said keeping in view the shortage of space in the rest house, the department has decided to provide accommodation to these couples for a maximum of 10 days, with the couples having to pay a minimum fixed amount. Moreover, the couples will have to foot the food bills, he added.

In August last year, the state government issued directions to all district police chiefs in the state to constitute five-member district-level counselling cells to assist imperilled lovers. The cell was meant to guide parents in resolving differences due to caste, creed or social status barriers.

Over a year down the line, these cells are a mere formality. There was not even a single meeting of this cell in the last one year and no case was referred to it for counselling, said Vishav Jyoti Dhir, a noted short story writer who is also a member of the District Honour Killing Counselling Cell in Faridkot.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2011/20111026/punjab.htm#2