Brother Beheads Sister with Help from Mother in Alleged Honour Killing

09-12-2021

Laetitia Wilms van Kersbergen

India and Human Rights Researcher,

Global Human Rights Defence.

On 6 December 2021, police in Aurangabad, a district in the western state of Maharashtra, have arrested a 17-year-old boy in a case of alleged honour killing. The 19-year-old victim had eloped in a love marriage without her family’s consent in June 2021 and had been living with her husband since then.[1] The victim’s family did not agree with the marriage, because, though they were both from the same caste, the family of the husband was poorer than the victim’s family.[2] The mother of the victim allegedly asked to come for a visit after not having seen her daughter much since she eloped. During the visit, the mother found out that the victim was pregnant, and she returned for a second time with the 17-year-old brother in tow. The 17-year-old attacked his sister from behind and alleged sliced off her head with a sickle, while her mother held her leg.[3] 

After the attack, the mother and brother allegedly took a selfie with the victim’s head. The phone is now being investigated in order to recuperate the photo. It is also reported that the accused and mother of the victim displayed the head before neighbours.[4]

Unfortunately, it is widely known that this is not an isolated incident. These murders, committed in the name of ‘honour’, refer to an age-old notion of family honour and tradition that remains deeply entrenched in Indian culture and society. There has long been a cry for reformed legislation in order to truly tackle honour crimes and its place in Indian society.[5] However, until there is the understanding that honour crimes no longer fit in Indian society, it is unlikely that anything will change for women and girls, and they will continue to suffer discrimination and violence based on their gender.[6]

Notes:

[1] India Today Web Desk, ‘Brother beheads pregnant sister in Maharashtra, puts head on display for eloping’ IndiaToday (6 December 2021) <https://www.indiatoday.in/crime/story/honour-killing-boy-beheads-pregnant-sister-maharashtra-aurangabad-1884642-2021-12-06> last accessed 9 December 2021.

[2] BBC, ‘Aurangabad: India teen arrested for beheading pregnant sister’ BBC News (8 December 2021) <https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-59559122> last accessed on 9 December 2021.

[3] India Today Web Desk, ‘Brother beheads pregnant sister in Maharashtra, puts head on display for eloping’ IndiaToday (6 December 2021) <https://www.indiatoday.in/crime/story/honour-killing-boy-beheads-pregnant-sister-maharashtra-aurangabad-1884642-2021-12-06> last accessed 9 December 2021.

[4] Mirror Now Digital, ‘Maharashtra: Teenager beheads 19-year-old sister, displays head for neighbours in Aurangabad; investigation on’ Times Now News (6 December 2021) <https://www.timesnownews.com/india/maharashtra-news/article/maharashtra-teenager-beheads-19-year-old-sister-displays-head-for-neighbours-in-aurangabad-investigation-on/838202> last accessed on 9 December 2021.

[5] Kavita Krishnan, “Honour’ crimes in India: An assault on women’s autonomy’ Al Jazeera (14 March 2018) <https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2018/3/14/honour-crimes-in-india-an-assault-on-womens-autonomy> last accessed 9 December 2021. 

[6] Human Rights Watch, ‘Item 12 – Integration of the human rights of women and the gender perspective: Violence Against Women and “Honor” Crimes’, Oral Statement presented during the Human Rights Watch Oral Intervention at the 57th Session of the UN Commission on Human Rights (5 April 2001) <https://www.hrw.org/news/2001/04/05/item-12-integration-human-rights-women-and-gender-perspective-violence-against-women> last accessed 9 December 2021.

Sources and further reading:

Amrutha Pagad, ‘Sairat in real: Aurangabad teenager beheads sister for daring to love’ DailyO (8 December 2021) <https://www.dailyo.in/variety/brother-beheads-sister-in-honour-killing-in-maharashtra-sairat-marathi-film/story/1/34943.html> last accessed 9 December 2021.

Sanhati Banerjee, ‘Honour Killing: India’s Own Pandemic of Casteist Patriarchy’ Feminism in India (6 May 2021) <https://feminisminindia.com/2020/05/06/honour-killing-indias-pandemic-patriarchy/> last accessed 9 December 2021.

Tanya D’Lima et al., ‘For the Sake of Family and Tradition: Honour Killings in India and Pakistan’ 5 Indian Journal of Women and Social Change (2020) 22 – 39.