Thursday, June 09, 2011

Progress!

In today's Hindustan Times is this story: 10 to hang in UP for honour killing.
Udai Pal Singh, alias Bhura, (30) of Pilakhtara village in Etah district, some 350km from [Lucknow], eloped with Vijaya (22) of the same village on October 30, 2008. Fifteen days later, on November 13, 2008, Vijaya’s father, Ramesh Pal, and his associates traced the couple and Singh’s brother Satyabhan Singh to the neighbouring Balukhera village.

They dragged the three, tortured them and then unloaded dozens of bullets into them. Their faces were mutilated beyond recognition — all in full public view, ignoring pleas of villagers for mercy.
So far, a depressing and familiar story. But here's the difference:
Awarding death to 10 of the 12 accused, Etah additional sessions judge Rajendra Babu Sharma relied on the May 9 Supreme Court observation that honour killings came in the category of ‘rarest of rare’ cases, and were barbaric, feudal and a slur on the country. “All persons who are planning to perpetrate honour killings should know that the gallows await them,” the court had said.
Progress is being made.

It's not that I'm in favor of the death penalty. But I am much less in favor of men slaughtering women (and sometimes other men) over who they marry to avenge their "honor". Whatever puts an end to that way of thinking - the proprietary and violent ownership of other people - is good enough.

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