Police unable to establish identity of victims, murderers.
By Dileep Thekkethil
BENGALURU: Just a few weeks after the release of the film NH10, which depicted honor killing in all its brutality, comes a real life incident in Haryana, which is even worse.
The body of a man and a woman stacked inside two big trunks were found abandoned in a park adjacent to NH1 near Haryana’s Sonepat. According to police, the evidence from the bodies suggest the possibility of an honor killing, which is prevalent in Haryana.
The male, whose legs were amputated, was around 30 years of age and the female was between 25–30 years old. The police have taken note of the bangles that the woman was wearing, commonly worn by newlywed brides in Haryana.
Superintendent of police (SP) Ashok Kumar was quoted by The Hindustan Times saying, “We are not sure about the reason behind the incident but the possibility of honour killing or murder due to an illicit relationship cannot be denied, as the girl seems married.â€
The post-mortem report of the two bodies has revealed that both of them were brutally beaten up and later strangled to death. (SP) Kumar said “It appears somebody had beaten them badly. Once their identity is established, it will help shed more light in the case.”
In the eyes of police, the two of them were attacked and killed in some other location and later after confirming their deaths; the bodies were loaded inside the trunk and then disposed. The SP also said “We are also trying to find out if there was any missing persons complaint registered in any police station which matches the profile of the two.”
The bodies were first discovered by the sweepers, near to NH 1 in Sonepat, which shares border with Delhi and UP. As the bodies were found on the border, the police have formed special team of five to search for the identity of the two and to search for their relatives.
Haryana is still home to the archaic practice of khap panchayats which acts as a parallel judicial body in many parts. Khaps ban people from marrying from inter-castes and inter-religion. Those who defy this medieval custom will be prosecuted by the village councils, who at times order victims to be killed. According to the khaps, the punishment given by them is to uphold the prestige and dignity of the community. In most cases, the people who get involved in these village councils fail to get access to the established judicial process.
In another case of honor killing, a couple from Barak gotra in Gharnavati village was murdered after they eloped and got married in 2013. The boy was beheaded whereas the girl was hanged to death by her own relatives, all in the name of the community’s honor.