Even in an age that proudly calls itself a highly modern society, the primitive disease called ‘caste arrogance’ continues to reign. The series of brutal killings happening recently stand as proof. The caste-based honour killing that took place in Shadnagar of Ranga Reddy district, just a stone’s throw from Hyderabad, once again exposed this deep-rooted social ailment. The murder of a man by the girl’s family simply because his younger brother had an inter-caste marriage is not just a family feud or a personal grudge. It raises the question are we truly in the twenty-first century, or are we still living in the medieval ages? In a society that is excelling in space research and earning global applause, how can killing human beings in the name of caste be justified?
Is loving someone and marrying them a crime committed by these young men and women? Are the walls of caste more important than the lives of their own children? How can a society that calls itself civilized justify such barbaric acts committed in the name of caste? The caste and religion driven honour killings rising across the state and the Manusmriti-based mindset behind them are they not obstacles to progress? Why are our governments, rulers, and intellectuals not thinking about this?
These so-called honour killings are not just attacks on love. They are assaults on the very survival of progressive thought. From Pranaru in Miryalaguda, Naresh in Bhongir, Krishna in Suryapet and Hemanth in Hyderabad to numerous other incidents in Yadadri and Asifabad these cases are indelible stains on today’s ‘modern’ society. We have not forgotten how, in Hayathnagar, a brother murdered his sister because she loved someone from another caste. There are many more such incidents in society, only a few come to light. Many others remain buried under the cloak of informal village courts and settlements. What happened in Shadnagar is horrific. The boy’s elder brother was murdered by the girl’s father because the younger brother had an inter-caste marriage even though the father himself had once married outside his caste. Telling his wife that he needed ‘ten minutes to talk’ and then committing murder shows how trust between human beings is being shattered. Such incidents have become permanent stains on humanity and extreme manifestations of caste frenzy. Under the guise of honour, killing not only one’s own children but also relatives who helped them how can that ever be justified? No one benefits from such acts. The society has already seen what ultimately happened to Amrutha’s father, Maruthi Rao.
Even today, under the guise of tradition, families try to control love, marriage and relationships in the name of caste. Elders pass judgment on the lives of others. A society clinging to outdated beliefs is collectively leading to monstrous violence. The same happened in Shadnagar. To punish and suppress the couple who married for love, they resorted to brutality in the name of ‘honour’. Whose dignity increased by murdering the brother? Did the family’s prestige become stronger? In the end, all that remained were grieving relatives, a dead body, and two shattered homes.
Though technology has advanced and society appears modernizing, caste and religious fanaticism are only becoming more inflamed. Some groups are deliberately nurturing this. Governments and police systems act according to their dictates. From Pranaru’s killing to the recent murder of Rajashekar, there has been no proper response from leaders of ruling parties. Even when victims file cases, justice is not delivered swiftly. Despite Supreme Court guidelines, governments remain unresponsive. When central leaders and politicians in the states pretend not to see these incidents, when will this violence stop? In the Shadnagar case too, even though the daughter complained about her father as he was taking Rajashekar away, the local police failed to take it seriously that is the criticism. Had the police responded immediately, his life might have been saved. In every such incident so far, police failure is clearly evident. Pressure from local politicians is routine. This truth has been repeatedly exposed by fact-finding committees of various organizations. Only after the incident does everyone react. Officials claim to take action. Police say they will register cases and make arrests. A few days later, silence returns. Such cases should not hang in courts for years. They must be resolved through special courts. Only when the guilty are punished will the murders committed in the name of caste honour come to an end.