I endorse the statement. In solidarity, K M Venugopalan Kerala On Fri, Apr 23, 2010 at 4:33 PM, Niloufer Bhagwat <[email protected]>wrote:
> The Union of India is unable to deal with defiance to the Constitution > and laws on its doorsteps , even as it sends para military forces for more > effective seizure of tribal land and resources by Companies . > > The Khap Panchayat reflects the defiance of the Constitution and laws by > upper castes/classes all over the country with total defiance and > impunity even as socio-economic weaker sections including minority > groups are being hounded , whereas privileged groups even while violating > the law are protected by the machinery of the state . > > I endorse the statement . I had raised the issue in public fora four > years ago and in a documented paper. > > Niloufer Bhagwat > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > *From:* Kamayani <[email protected]> > *Sent:* Thursday, April 22, 2010 9:32 PM > *Subject:* [humanrights-movement:2481] Fwd: Please endorse>> Statement on > theKhap Maha Panchayat > > > > Dear all, > > Please see below statement about the recent Khap Maha Panchayat. If you > would like to endorse this statement, please send us a mail by Sunday 25th > April 2010. We are planning to send it to the Chief Ministers of Delhi, > Haryana, UP and Rajasthan. > > In Solidarity, > Janaki and Deepti > for Saheli > > [email protected] > > > > ** > > *Love, Honour and Killer Khaps* > > > > We read with shock and outrage about the Khap Maha Panchayat held in > Kurukshetra on the 13th of April 2010 at which over 4000 khap panchayat > members from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi vowed to fight for > the seven people convicted recently in a “honour-killing” case. They > valorised those who killed Babli (19) and Manoj (23) and argued that those > who murdered them “honoured traditional values” which must be upheld. The > khaps decided to collect money from all Khap members to provide support to > the convicted and vowed to mobilise public opinion against the court order. > They also decided to give 1 lakh Rupees to the families of those convicted. > > > > Such barbaric acts and support of these acts must be condemned. No caste or > community has the license to kill under any pretext, nor to glorify such > murders. > > > > In June 2007, Babli and Manoj from Karoran village near Kaithal in Haryana > were killed. The ‘sin’ for which they were fatally punished was that they > married each other against the wishes of Babli’s family. Babli’s family’s > disapproval was linked to both of them belonging to the same ‘gotra’ > (lineage). This led the panchayat to declare the marriage as ‘void’ and a > witch-hunt for the two was ordered. Within a month of their marriage, they > were tracked down and brutally murdered by Babli’s family members to uphold > the verdict of the khap panchayat. Babli was poisoned and Manoj was > strangled. Their bodies were thrown into a canal. As in most cases of so > called ‘honour’ killings, in this case too the killers were family members; > Babli’s brother, two of her cousins, two uncles and a distant relative. > > > > The couple had clearly feared the violent reaction from the community, > because when they eloped and got married they had sought protection from the > High Court in Chandigarh which in turn had directed the Haryana Police to > provide them with security. The policeman who was deployed to provide them > security is suspected of revealing their whereabouts to Babli's family! He > is currently facing departmental action. > > > > Manoj’s mother, Chanderpati, refused to take this lying down and decided to > fight to get justice. She filed a complaint with the police and also > approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court for justice. Chanderpati lives > a very difficult life because she has been ostracised by the villagers. They > do not speak to her, do not sell her any groceries and blame her for wanting > to seek justice. This is believed to be one of the first instance in Haryana > where an affected family has gone to court against such a killing. > > > > As a result of this case, a court in Karnal (Haryana) held 7 people guilty > and pronounced its Judgement in April 2010. Those sentenced to death were > all family members of Babli. The head of the panchayat in Haryana's Kaithal > district, which ruled against the couple's marriage, has been given life > imprisonment and a driver found to have helped abduct the couple was given a > seven-year prison term. This verdict was pronounced by Additional District > and Sessions Judge Vani Gopal Sharma, who herself unfortunately is facing > threats for this judgement and has been provided a security cover by the > Karnal Police. She continues to face the Khaps’ ire and has recently > requested a transfer. > > > > This was not the first time that Haryana's Khap panchayats have come in the > way of lovers. In many cases diktats have been made against young couples > who are believed to have crossed community and caste rules and familial > authority. In many cases the real threat appears to have been ‘choice’ > marriage itself. (Although, in some cases marriages arranged by the parents > of a couple have similarly faced Khap-terror because it was found out later > that the couple were of the same *gotra*). > > > > These pronouncements have often led to many young lives being brutally > snuffed out. While we hail the judgement made in the District and Sessions > Court as a step in the right direction to bring not only the killers but > also the khap panchayats to task, we do not support the death penalty. It is > important that steps are taken to curtail the powers of these self-styled > panchayats which function contrary to rights laid down in the Constitution > and act as a law unto themselves. It is also extremely important to > strengthen people’s faith in the police and judiciary so they can complain > against such diktats that deny the right to life and liberty and the right > to choice marriages. > > > > There are no official statistics on the number of ‘honour’ killings in > India, but media reports are full of such cases where young couples are > driven to suicide or killed by family members for marrying outside caste, > community, or within the village and *gotra*. It is extremely important to > recognise these so–called ‘honour’ killings as a crime and find ways to > prevent these killings. > > > > Not only has the Khap mahapanchayat held on the 13th of April, 2010 > glorified the killers, but they have also given a loud and clear message to > the government that caste and family ‘honour’ is above the law. They also > demanded that the Hindu Marriage Act be amended to ban marriages within the > same *gotra* for the sake of ‘restoring social norms’. > > > > *We demand:* > > > > - That further action is taken against the Khap leaders who made statements > at the Khap Mahapanchayat that amount to the glorification of murder and the > valourisation of the killers. > > > > - That the State Governments and Courts take *suo motu* cognizance of > various media reports and institute an enquiry into incidents of ‘honour’ > killings in Northern India. > > > > - That state governments take strict action to protect the rights of > citizens to choose their own partners. > > > > - Strong action be taken against all those who have threatened Sessions > Judge Vani Gopal Sharma to ensure that the members of the judiciary are not > intimidated in this manner. > > > > - That action is taken against all those policemen who did not perform > their duty, leading to the killing of Babli and Manoj. The ugly nexus > between Khap leaders, the police, and local politicians should be exposed to > ensure that fundamental rights laid down in our Constitution are upheld. > > > > Signatures: > > > > 1. Saheli, New Delhi > > 2. > > > > > -- > Saheli Women's Resource Centre > Above Unit 105-108 > Defence Colony Flyover Market > New Delhi 100 024 > > > > > > -- > Adv Kamayani Bali Mahabal > +919820749204 > skype-lawyercumactivist > > "After a war, the silencing of arms is not enough. Peace means respecting > all rights. You can’t respect one of them and violate the others. When a > society doesn’t respect the rights of its citizens, it undermines peace and > leads it back to war.” > -- Maria Julia Hernandez > > > www.otherindia.org > www.binayaksen.net > www.phm-india.org > www.phmovement.org > www.ifhhro.org > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "humanrights movement" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected] > . > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]<humanrights-movement%[email protected]> > . > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/humanrights-movement?hl=en. > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "humanrights movement" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected] > . > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]<humanrights-movement%[email protected]> > . > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/humanrights-movement?hl=en. > -- You cannot build anything on the foundations of caste. You cannot build up a nation, you cannot build up a morality. Anything that you will build on the foundations of caste will crack and will never be a whole. -AMBEDKAR http://venukm.blogspot.com http://www.shelfari.com/kmvenuannur http://kmvenuannur.livejournal.com -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "humanrights movement" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/humanrights-movement?hl=en.
