The Khap panchayats have sparked a controversy by their harsh diktats against couple who marry in the same gotra or subcaste.
Notwithstanding a spate of so called honour killings in northern states, a new study shows that a massive 92% of the people in this region disapprove of such crimes.
The study commissioned by National Commission of Women interviewed both urban and rural people out of which 46% agreed that the Khap Panchayats or self-styled caste councils were raising right issues, 48% agreed with the gotra issues and a majority 66% were against inter-caste marriages.
The Khap panchayats have sparked a controversy by their harsh diktats against couple who marry in the same gotra or subcaste.
Fiftyfour per cent agreed that they will react strongly to love marriages within their family, according to the study by NGO 'Shakti Vahini'
Of the 600 people surveyed, 92% disapproved of honour killings, 71% disapproved of the Khap diktats and orders and 68% agreed that social mobilisation is the key to fight feudal forces.
However, only 32% were in support of a new law to curb and combat honour killings.
A large number of respondents were in favour of the rule of law and stated that in no terms such bodies should be allowed and the government needs to ban such bodies if they indulge in illegal acts or against the rule of law.
The study said there was lack of awareness of various guidelines issued by the courts on important issues and the government needs to provide such information via mass media so that laws are not manipulated by the law enforcement agencies.
Apart from the common people, the NGO also interviewed 300 police personnel as it felt that the police was an important part of the justice implementation system.
'Shakti Vahini' studied 560 cases in the last four years where couples have been threatened. From these cases, a total of 121 persons have been killed.
While 48 people have been killed for "honour" in Uttar Pradesh, 15 persons lost their lives in Delhi, 41 persons in Haryana and 17 in other states.
But many other cases of honour killings have not been documented. They have been documented as murder, the study said.
Among the 560 cases, 465 cases (83.03%) are pertaining to inter-caste marriages. The gotra issue involves only 3.2% of the cases.
The study was quoted by minister of state for women and child development Krishna Tirath in Parliament while replying to a question on honour killings.
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