Beyond Brutality: How “Honor” Killings Are Legitimated and Reinforced in India
NEW DELHI, India – August 18, 2025:Honor killings, which are awful murders done to save family or community honor, aren’t just random things. They’re part of India’s society. These crimes are kept alive by bad social rules, system problems, and a lack of clear laws, which says people can get away with it. Even though human rights groups and courts hate these killings, society and officials usually ignore them, which lets the violence keep happening.
How Society Allows It: Community and Caste Groups
The main issue is old groups like Khap Panchayats, mostly in northern states such as Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. These caste groups make rules that say people can’t marry outside their caste or family group. They act like they’re in charge, even over the state law. They say they protect honor, so their orders, like kicking people out or hurting them, seem okay to many people. This helps the people who do these crimes, often family members, because the community doesn’t say anything or secretly agrees with them, so they don’t face any trouble.
Legal Problems: Holes in the System
It’s hard to fight honor killings because there’s no special law for them. They’re charged under the same law as normal murder, Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code. In 2018, the Supreme Court said honor killings were awful murders and wanted a separate law to stop them. They also gave rules to prevent, fix, and punish these crimes, but they’re usually not followed.
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When Officials Don’t Care
Another reason these crimes keep happening is that police often don’t do enough. Local police, who are often from the same caste or community as the criminals, might be pressured to say these murders were suicides or accidents to protect the family’s honor. Because these crimes are underreported, it’s hard to get good numbers and convict people. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) numbers on honor killings are thought to be low because many cases aren’t listed as this type of crime, which hides how big the problem really is.
About Taking Away Freedom and Male Control
Honor killings are mostly about controlling women. The idea of family honor is tied to a woman’s sexuality and how well she obeys men’s rules. When a woman or couple chooses who they want to marry, it’s seen as going against the family and community’s power. So, this violence is a brutal lesson to others, keeping men in charge and punishing people for wanting their own freedom. The idea that these killings are okay comes from believing that the family’s name is the most important thing and must be protected, no matter what it costs.
