Inter- caste or inter-religion relationship and refusal to enter into an arranged marriage are common triggers of “honor killing ", said senior advocate Rajeev Shankar Verma adding that there should be stringent laws and awareness to minimize such incidents.

Sagar Suraj || BNM

MOTIHARI: Back to Back killing to protect so called family honour, has sparked outrage in this bordering district of Bihar’s East Champaran.

On the intervening night of Tuesday-Wednesday, a minor 'love bird' committed suicide in Kodha village under Chiraiya police station. Before hanging them self, lover Amit filled his girlfriend Rani's 'Maang' with blood making an incision on his thumb.

Both were from the same village, belonged to different castes and near adult. As family prestige was coming in the way of their marriage, they resolved to end their life hanging themselves with a branch of mango tree.

A day before this, in Siswa Kharar village of Kalyanpur police station, a minor girl was murdered by her father, brother and uncle. This girl had committed the crime of falling in love with a boy from the same village.

On 13 January last, a father named Vinod Prasad killed his own daughter in Kotwa village because she was allegedly having a relationship with her lover even after marriage. Police acted properly in all cases.

These incidents are heartbreaking and disturbing, highlighting the darker aspects of societal pressure and the desire to protect family prestige. The concept of "Honor killing" is rooted in traditional and cultural beliefs, where the perceived dishonor brought by a family member, often a woman, is punished by death.

In many cases, honor killings are connected to issues like caste, religion, and social hierarchy. The fact that Amit and Rani of Chiraiya belonged to different castes, despite being from the same village, was enough to spark opposition to their marriage. Similarly, the minor girl in Siswa Kharar village was murdered for falling in love with a boy from the same village.

Apart from this, the brutal murder of children by their own relatives for prestige, which is happening in this district, has become a hot topic of discussion in the district. As a result, considering it necessary to investigate the mental state and law behind these incidents, advocates of district Bar were talked to.

“Inter- caste or inter-religion relationship and refusal to enter into an arranged marriage are common triggers of “honor killing ", said senior advocate Rajeev Shankar Verma adding that there should be stringent laws and awareness to minimize such incidents.

General Secretary of district bar association (DBA) Rajeev Dwivedi aks Pappu Dubey while talking to BNM said that, It's essential to address the underlying societal issues that lead to these heinous crimes. Education, awareness, and stricter laws can help prevent such incidents and protect individuals from violence and gender discrimination.

Kanhaiya Singh, former general secretary of DBA told that the lack of a specific law to deal with honour killing is a significant concern. Law-enforcement agencies are forced to charge suspects under separate provisions of the IPC, depending on the scale of the crime.

Former DBA General Secretary Narendar Dev is of the views on the issues that, the issue of honour killing is deeply rooted in India's feudal society, marked by caste wars, untouchability, and patriarchal mindsets. Politicians must take a firm stance against honour killing, prioritizing the protection of citizens' constitutional and democratic rights over vote-bank politics.

Advocate Manoj Singh said, a session’s court in Karnal of Hariyana awarded the death penalty to five men for killing a couple, who had married against the diktats of a khap panchayat. This judgment marks a significant step towards addressing honour killings. Motihari police administration should come forward to protect such couple.

Advocate Vivekanand Shrivastava, said that the existing laws are enough to tackle such crime. The Law Commission's recommended bill, the Prohibition of Interference with the Freedom of Matrimonial Alliance Bill, is still pending.

Over honour killings, the Supreme Court issued a notice to the centre and eight states, seeking explanations for the steps taken to prevent such incidents. The government has decided to constitute a Group of Ministers to consult with states and explore the possibility of enacting a special law to tackle honour killings.

On this growing concern experts are, however, divided on the need for a specific honour killing law. Some argue that existing laws are sufficient if implemented properly, while others believe that more stringent provisions are required to address the menace of honour killings.

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An IPS officer is making waves in Bihar police for his audacious decisions and making significant strides in tackling various challenges plaguing the district.

Sagar Suraj

MOTIHARI: An IPS officer is making waves in Bihar police for his audacious decisions and making significant strides in tackling various challenges plaguing the district.

This 2017- batch police officer Swarn Prabhat is hitting the headlines with a number of people-friendly and anti- criminal’s initiatives he had taken soon after joining as superintendent of police (SP) of Bihar’s East Champaran district.

East Champaran is clinching with the porous border of Nepal and has been facing a number of security related challenges. Apart from crimes on border like smuggling and anti-India activities, SP has strongly tackled the open sale of liquor, corruption among cops on police station level, incidents of “Harsh Firing”, attacks on police on duty and major criminal’s incidents on every alternate days.

Thousands of liters of liquor are seized daily, significantly reducing open sales.  Drone surveillance and ground-to-sky monitoring led to the arrest of gang members and a decline in criminal activities.

SP has also tackled unscrupulous cops with stern hands. In corruption crackdown: Malahi SHO, Dumariaghat SHO, and others were suspended for dereliction of duty.

Police Accountability: Transparency in posting criteria, with officer’s track records was made public by SP.

Harsh Firing Prevention: Security provided for marriage ceremonies, with officials encouraged to take selfies with attendees. The initiatives stopped ‘harsh firing’ completely and liquor use in the marriage ceremonies as well.

Officers authorized to use arms in self-defense, as seen in Raghunathpur and Dumariaghat incidents. This came after a police man was attacked by villagers in a village of Pahadpur.

Police are so morally high that they shot a criminal named Samir Singh, when he challenged police at the time of his arrest. He was a vicious sharp shooter and absconding in a case of murder of a bank employee.

SP while releasing a video said that Police stations are equipped with chilly grenades to disperse the mob at the time of implementing rule of laws. All the SHOs have been asked to provide FIR copy immediately to the complainant and share a selfie image from spot. he said.

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