No justification for honour killings: Kumari Selja

Against the backdrop of the killing of a couple for honour in Haryana, Union Social Justice Minister Kumari Selja today said such acts cannot be justified and there was a need to strictly deal with people indulging in such "horror killings".

"Taking life cannot be justified. There is a need for the government to be more strict," the minister said, noting such incidents have been reported from many other states. "This is prevalent in many states but the present case has taken place in Haryana. It is a shocking incident and be it the government machinery or society, one must voice their opinion and act strictly against it," she said.

In this case, even the family allegedly involved in the crime is pretending as if they have not done anything wrong, she said. "The term honour killing is wrong. It is horror killing. It cannot be justified in any way. This incident should be like a mirror to society that this kind of act cannot be acknowledged in any way. We have to deal with such people very strictly," Shelja said.

She was reacting to the brutal killing of a young couple in Gharnavati village in Haryana's Rohtak district for honour. Asked about the demand for a CBI probe in the Muzaffarnagar violence, she said the decision has to be taken by the state government. "A CBI probe cannot be ordered by the Centre. It is the state government which does so or any court does it. The CBI cannot do it suo motto," she said.

Describing the Muzaffarnagar incident as very complicated and sensitive, she said the state government has said that action will be taken. "We hope that on one hand action is taken and on the other hand, the society stays together in harmony and get back to normalcy," she said.

Asked whether the Centre was putting pressure on the UP government to act, she said her party's top leaders reached the riot-hit district and the message is clear that "our politicians took the matter very seriously".