Tamil Nadu up against honour killing, sets up first 'Anti-Honour Killing Cell' in Madurai
- It has set up a special cell in Madurai to prevent honour killings and provide help to the ostracised.
- Given the rising number of honour killings in the state, Madras High Court issued a nine-point directive to set up such a cell in each district within three months.
- The cell will comprise the District Social Welfare Officer, Superintendent of Police, and the District Adi Dravidar Welfare Officer.
FollowIn a first of its kind, the Tamil Nadu government has decided to step up the law and order situation against honour killing. It has set up a special cell in Madurai to prevent honour killings and provide help to the ostracised. It had been under conception over a year now. Given the rising number of honour killings in the state, Madras High Court issued a nine-point directive to set up such a cell in each district within three months.
In addition to the cell, the court had mandated that a fund be created to support a 24-hour helpline to offer assistance, advice and protection to those in need. The fund would also help provide temporary shelter to the ostracized and the rejected.
Despite the legal mandate, there have been many reported incidents where couples had to face trouble with the police, who have often insisted on reconciliation with family members. In one such case, an adult woman was forced to go back home to her family members because she was not married to her partner, against the Domestic Violence Act that recognises live-in relationships. Following this, the All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) declared that it would file a contempt petition over non-compliance of the High Court's 2016 order in June this year.
This forced the Tamil Nadu government to step on gas and form the cell. The cell will comprise the District Social Welfare Officer, Superintendent of Police, and the District Adi Dravidar Welfare Officer. Human Rights activists have also suggested the participation of officials from varied castes and that there should be efforts to ensure that officials from dominant castes and communities are not given the job of handling caste-based crimes to avoid any conflict of interest and interference. According to the National Crime Bureau statistics, honour killing in the country grew by 796 percent from 2014 to 2015. Incidentally, in 2015, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had passed a similar order to set up anti-honour killing cells.
