|
|
Asia-Pacific
Viva La Woman Power
Special Contribution By Shobha Shukla
 | Viva La Woman Power
| It had to take the grit and determination of a woman (nay two women) to bring to books the culprits in an honour killing of a young married couple (Manoj and Babli), on the orders of a khap(caste) panchayat in Haryana. Their crime was to marry for love despite belonging to the same gotra (lineage), which so enraged their family members and local community that they were abducted and murdered. Chandrapati, the widowed mother of Manoj, has earned the distinction of being the first woman in Haryana to have taken on the dreaded khap panchayat and fought a legal battle against the perpetrators of the heinous crime. Chandrapati has done what even our so called leaders and administrators could not dare to do. She dared to challenge the credibility of these rural panchayats, which operate as a parallel judicial system, enforcing a brutal form of justice. And coming to the aid of Chandrapati was another woman of substance – Vani Gopal Sharma – the additional district and sessions judge of Karnal. In a landmark judgement, she awarded death penalty to 5 members of Babli¡¯s family and life sentence to the head of the khap panchayat for hatching a conspiracy to kill the couple.In her 96 page long judgement the judge said, ¡®the present case reflects a long standing tradition of oppression against women. It has to be curbed by legislation treating honour killings as a separate offence. I wonder how such a progressive society could allow such action in the name of community honour.¡¯ The verdict sends a strong signal to these panchayats which have become a law unto themselves, with the silent consent of politicians and policemen, in some parts of India. According to one estimate, every year, more than 100 men and women are either killed or forced to commit suicide by khaps for not adhering to traditional norms. Even as I write this piece, there is yet another news (Hindu paper dated 1.4.2010) of an apparent honour killing of a young couple in Punjab. The victims, hailing from Firozpur, were provided police protection on orders of Punjab and Haryana High Court after marrying against their parents¡¯ wishes. Yet, they were shot dead by 5 people in full public view near Amritsar. The verdict in Chandrapati¡¯s case came after a tireless three years long legal battle by her, when her life came to a standstill. Shunned by her own people and community, she fought single handedly against social orthodoxy. Her battle for justice, despite all odds and social ostracism by the community, is a source of inspiration to all of us. She was happy at the verdict, but wanted punishment for those also who abetted and aided the crime. She wondered ¡®How can people who kill our children be trusted to mete out justice?¡¯ Despite her rustic and traditional upbringing, Chandrapati has the wisdom and courage to proclaim that children should have the freedom to choose their life partners.Many of us elite city folks would do well to learn a lesson or two from her. It is not uncommon for highly educated urbanites to make life hell for their grown up sons and daughters if they dare to go against their parents¡¯ dictat – be it choosing their life partner or even a profession of their choice. I am shocked to see the belligerent attitude of affluent families when it comes to marrying outside ones¡¯ caste, or marrying without dowry, or even refusing to abort a female foetus. It seems that, as our horizons expand, our vision is becoming narrower.It is hoped that the newly enforced ¡®Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education¡¯ Act will be another important step in developing progressive minds, free from social and religious bigotry and from prejudices of caste , creed and cultures. It is also hoped that the government amends the Indian Penal Code to make honour killings a separate offence with appropriate punishment. But mere enactment of laws will not do. Enforcement of laws must be accompanied by a change in mindset. We need to educate ourselves and our children to live in peace and harmony with each other. We need many more Chandrapatis and Vanis.
Related Articles Are We Putting Money Where the Mouth Is to ... Early and Accurate TB Diagnosis Is the Gateway ... Long Walk to Transgender Rights and Gender ... Strong Local Actions Are Pivotal to Reduce ... The Head Must Follow What the Hand Writes Ending Tobacco Smoking Is Bedrock for ... Asia Pacific Has over 6.7 Million New TB Cases Will Shorter, Safer and More Effective TB ... Whither Women's Reproductive Health in Asia ... Build the World We Want: Healthy Future for All New TB Treatment Breakthroughs Must Reach the ... How Will Children Living with HIV Grow Up ... Writing Is on the Wall: Pictorial Health ... Failing on the Basics: Are We Able to Break ... A Bouquet of Novel Compounds: New Treatment ... One Size Does Not Fit All: Expanding the ... Tale of Two Pandemics: Follow the Science and ... Governments Must Adopt a Strong Political ... What Is the Ring? Disability Is Not Limited to the Body, It Is ... Accelerating Progress on Sexual & Reproductive ... Stop This Shaming of Menstruation Complacency Breeds Failure: Consolidate ... For Age Is Opportunity No Less Than Youth ... New Study Pegs the Number of TB Cases in India ... Self-stigma: Let Us Do More Than Just "Ttalk ... We Cannot Eliminate TB If We Leave Children ... MDR-TB Treatment Rgimen: Short Indeed Is ... A Plain Face Can Take the Sheen Out of Deadly ... Strike at the Root of the Problem to Kill TB Antibiotic Use Is Driving Antibiotic Resistance Big Push for Transgender and Hijra Welfare Where There Is a Will There Is a Way: Teeja ... Lung Cancer: Difficult to Diagnose, Difficult ... Long Road to Justice: Human Rights of Female ... Medical Malpractices: Is There Light at the ... Overcoming Roadblocks in Translating ... Management of Respiratory Diseases beyond ... Gender Justice to Be at the Heart of ... Connecting the Dots: Tobacco Use, Diabetes, ... It Is Time To Control Asthma Call for No More New HIV Infected Children Smoking Goes Electronic Break the Silence around Cancer How Can You Treat Your Illness Unless You Take ... Asthma Medicines Still Unaffordable for Many New Technique to Prevent Diabetic Lower-Limb ... Cycle Beads: The Bead String for Family ... Beware: All Forms of Tobacco Are Harmful! Mother's Milk Is the Best Nutrition for the ... Where Is The TB Quilt, Nay Mask? Hello, This Is Nature¡¯s Call From Garbage ... Tuberculosis: Ugly Scar on Beautiful Childhood Towards A More Enabling Environment for ... What¡¯s Cooking in Kitchen: Peace or Conflict? Feed Your Child Well: Prevent Pneumonia Costly Medicines Mean Debt or Death for People ... AIDS Epidemic at a Critical Juncture in ... Watch Your Tongue Mr. Minister! Free Trade Agreements: A Threat To People's ... In The Pursuit Of Healthy Happiness Empowering Rural Women Say Yes To Life: Say No To Tobacco Homophobia Is A Human Rights Issue Rubbish Rubbish Food and Embrace Healthy ... Of Music and Divinity Wake Up Call on Childhood Obesity after Years ... A New Hope of Life for Our Ailing Education ... Reminiscences of Egypt Do Not Break the Nucleus Whispers of Sanity in the Frenzy of Madness Tobacco Cessation Can Piggy-back Ride on ... In The Spirit Of Freedom (from Tobacco) World Conference on Tobacco or Health
to ... Requiem for Purity Rhapsody 2008 -- a Symphony of Different ... 'Diabetes Doctor Is at Your Doorstep' in ... Activists Decry India's Deferment of Pictorial ... South-East Asian Diabetes Summit to Open Up in ... Special on Universal Children's Day The Wrath Of God World Food Scarcity and the Challenges of ... Victim of Terrorism -- the Common Man Teachers' Day: The Sacrificial Goat Hiroshima Day: Let Us Worship Peace and Shun ... Whither the Innocence of Childhood? Food for Thought -- on World Food Day Love Is the Missing Link in War-on-Terror Irom Sharmila: The Iron Lady India Poised And Shining Is It Just Another Day in Life of Indian Woman? He Has His Cake and Eats It Too To Be Young, to Be Married, and to Be in India The Mad Mad World of Ads
Other Articles by Shobha Shukla
Are We Putting Money Where the Mouth Is to ... Long Walk to Transgender Rights and Gender ... Whither Women's Reproductive Health in Asia ... Build the World We Want: Healthy Future for ... New TB Treatment Breakthroughs Must Reach ...
Ms. Shobha Shukla has been teaching Physics at India's noted Loreto Convent, and has been writing for The Hindustan Times and Women's Era in the past. She serves as Editor of Citizen News Service (CNS). She can be contacted at shobha1shukla@yahoo.co.in)
back
|
|
|
|
|