‘Honour’ killing

THE chilling murders of Saravjeet Kaur in Sirsa and Komal Rani in Kaithal show that Haryana is rightly synonymous with ‘honour’ killing. In the Saravjeet case, her family initially tried to fool everyone into believing that she had died of a heart attack. Later, her father and brother confessed to the police that they had strangled her over a relationship they disapproved of. Saravjeet’s family objected to the affair because of her lover’s poor economic condition. The root cause of the Kaithal episode, in which a 17-year-old boy allegedly murdered his sister, was the family’s opposition to her inter-caste marriage.

It’s a paradox that a state renowned for its women sportspersons, particularly wrestlers, continues to face ignominy over gender injustice and inequality. Befittingly, it was in Haryana that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao programme in January 2015. This initiative was primarily aimed at improving the child sex ratio and spurring women’s empowerment. Though Haryana has crossed the mark of 900 in the sex ratio at birth, the long-term goal of achieving societal change remains largely elusive. A deeply entrenched patriarchal mindset is adversely impacting the lives of Haryana’s girls, especially in rural areas.

Around nine years ago, Sunil Jaglan, then sarpanch of Haryana’s Bibipur village, had started the ‘Selfie With Daughter’ campaign, for which he was lauded by PM Modi. The trend became popular not only in India but abroad too, with countless parents telling the world how proud they were of their daughters. Such initiatives which involve the entire community can go a long way in bringing about a mindset change. These should be a regular feature instead of a one-off thing. Haryana’s girls have been winning laurels for the country in the international arena; the state cannot afford to let itself be dishonoured by people with a regressive attitude.