ABSTRACT
Honour killing, a well-embedded social malaise in many parts of South Asia and mainly in India, is a grisly conjunction of gender, caste and patriarchy. This stain, in which people (mostly women) are murdered by family members due to claims of the victim having brought shame or dishonour to the family, is a symptom of caste supremacy and the control of women's sexuality by a caste and its patriarchy. This article analyses the social and cultural bases of honour killings, focusing specifically on the extent to which caste and gender identity are seen as legitimising acts of violence. Honour is closely linked to a woman's sexuality and marriage in the conventional Indian society. Women who marry outside their caste or religion or act contrary to established social expectations are often victims of honour killings. The family with the active support from panchayats (Khap Panchayats) view such reactions archaically as restoring family honour or mending collective status, which in their terms is still a violent act. In this paper, I analyze legal and sociological frameworks along with feminism to build a case around ideologies that enable such acts of violence called honour killings. I cite examples from various Indian states, namely Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan that are infamous for caste based honour killings. I further analyze how the patriarchal construction of caste subjugates womanhood by defining her socio-political body and circumscribing her mobility. The focus on systems of subjugation encompasses parallel stretches of the law, education, culture, and politically motivated constructions, which aid in the sustenance of honour violence. With performative affirmatives pointing toward dowry and ascribed birth importance, these systems collectively mark territory within human rights, gender and social justice alongside adding to the evolving discourse on India. The data along with my argument counts violence in the name of honour as layered interventions, counting beyond mere criminal terms.
