HONOUR KILLING- A CASE REPORT

Abstract

An honor killing (in Hindi this term can be translated as “Samman Hatya”)  is the murder of a female family or clan member by one or more fellow family members, where the murderers and potentially the wider community believe the victim to have brought dishonor upon the family, clan, or community. This perceived dishonor is normally the result of (a) utilizing dress codes unacceptable to the family (b) wanting out of an arranged marriage or choosing to marry by own choice, (c) engaging in certain sexual acts or (d) engaging in relations with the same sex. These killings result from the perception that defense of honor justifies killing a person whose behavior dishonors their clan or family [1]. Honor killings have been reported from antiquity from all over the world, however the recent past has shown an alarming and disturbing resurgence of this inhuman deed.  This paper presents two homicide cases related to honour killing: a dual homicide of two lovers who were killed in the name of preserving family honor and hanged after death together by the entire village. The pattern of injuries in both cases and crime scene are discussed in detail.