by NNLRJ INDIA

SC ISSUES NOTICE ON HONOUR KILLINGS

INDIAN EXPRESS

The Supreme Court on Monday stepped in to seek responses from the Centre and eight different state governments on a petition claiming that authorities have “failed miserably” and continue to remain mute spectators to the “mass frenzy” called honour killings committed against young couples and women.

A vacation bench of Justices R M Lodha and A K Patnaik issued notices to the Union of India and the ministries of Home Affairs and Women and Child Development.

The chief secretaries of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bihar have been directed to likewise respond after they were allegedly found to show a high propensity to honour crimes.

Monday’s action follows a petition by NGO Shakti Vahini represented by advocate Ravi Kant, which moved the apex court after an extensive survey of the regions under the aegis of the National Commission for Women.

Even as “intense fear among the victims to take on the feudalistic forces has prevented the victims from coming out in open litigation”, the NGO pointed out that states had turned a blind eye to the fundamental rights of women and young couples to live in dignity without fear for their lives.

The litigation expects the Supreme Court to direct the government to take preventive steps to “combat” honour killings — a result of “mass fury” — and also play a pivotal role in pushing the governments to draft both a National Policy of Action and corresponding one at the state level to further deter such incidents.

Thirdly, the litigation would aim to exclusively create special cells at every district for honour victims for their safety and protection.

“So called ‘honour-based’ violence occurs in communities where the concepts of honour and shame are fundamentally bound up with the expected behaviour of families and individuals, particularly those of women,” the petition explains.

“The most extreme form is ‘honour’ killing, but in other circumstances, the victim can be subjected to long-term low level physical abuse and bullying as a punishment for ‘bringing dishonour on the family’,” it adds.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/seven-booked-in-bhiwani-case/636859/0

by NNLRJ INDIA

India: Apex court upset at increasing cases of “honor killings”

From R.Vasudevan – Reporting from New Delhi
New Delhi, 22 June (Asiantribune.com):

Shocked by growing cult of “honour killings” being reported across the country, the Supreme Court on Monday issued notices to the Centre and some states on the issue.

A bench of Justices R. M. Lodha and A. K. Patnaik sought response from the respective governments on the petition filed by NGO ‘Shakti Vahini’ expressing grave concern over the recent spurt of such killings carried out at the instance of khap panchayats ( Kangaroo courts) in villages in the North.

The NGO complained that though there was a spurt in such killings in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Haryana, neither the Centre nor the state governments were taking steps to curb the menace due to “vote-bank politics.”

The khap panchayats function beyond the control of police, and their verdicts on marriages outside castes or same ‘gotras’ are rarely defied. In many recent cases, runaway couples have been brought back and murdered without a murmur of protest among the families. Fathers, uncles or even brothers take out their anger on boys or girls who dare to defy the established rules and traditions.

Haunted by the panchayat leaders who act like the Taliban, there have been instances of couples committing suicides on rail tracks, swallowing poison or hanging themselves in a death pact. Shockingly, the relatives involved in the murders have no remorse and even feel proud over protecting the “honour” of the family.

For instance, in a latest case, the father and uncle of a 19-year-old girl, who was allegedly tortured and electrocuted to death along with her boyfriend in the capital have been arrested. Suresh Kumar Saini and Om Prakash, father and uncle respectively of the victim Asha Saini, were arrested for allegedly committing the gruesome murder, police said.

Asha and Yogesh Kumar had been found murdered at her uncle’s residence on on Monday morning and the girl’s uncle Prakash and other members of her family were untraceable after the incident. “Saini and Prakash have confessed to the crime,” police claimed. Asha allegedly had an affair with Yogesh and wanted to marry him but her family was vehemently against the match as the boy belonged to a different caste.

“Honour killings,” which have been ratified by some ‘khap panchayats’, is a social problem and such issues could be resolved amicably, Minister of State for Women and Child Development (Independent charge) Krishna Tirath has said seeing nothing evil in such primitive practices.

Talking to reporters, Ms. Tirath said some decisions of the ‘khap panchayats’ violated the law of the land. “There is no law that bars two adults from the same ‘gotra’ marrying each other, but society sometimes do not accept this. We have to sit together to resolve the issue”.

The Delhi High Court had on Friday made a man withdraw a petition seeking a direction to the Union Government to carry out amendments in the Hindu Marriage Act banning marriages within the same gotra.

– Asian Tribune –

http://www.asiantribune.com/news/2010/06/22/india-apex-court-upset-increasing-cases-honor-killings

by NNLRJ INDIA

Why can’t you stop honour killings, SC asks Centre, states

ECONOMIC TIMES

NEW DELHI: TAKING a serious view of growing incidents of honour killings in the country, the Supreme Court on Monday issued notices to the Centre and nine states on a plea alleging governments’ inability to deal with the menace for political reasons. The court asked the governments to furnish their stand on the issue and explain why they cannot come out with a stringent law to curb the growing menace of such killings. A vacation bench comprising Justices R M Lodha and A K Patnaik sought responses from the Centre, states of Delhi, Haryana, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan on a PIL filed by an NGO, Shakti Vahini.

This comes in the wake of suspected honour killings in Bhiwani and Delhi on Sunday in two separate incidents and one such alleged killings of a couple from Bihar in Punjab a few days ago.

According to police, Monika (18) and her lover Rinku (19), both from Jat families, were “killed for honour” at Nimriwali village, near Bhiwani. The father of the girl, her brother, uncle and cousins are suspected to be behind the crime and are absconding.

In a similar incident, a young couple from different castes were murdered in Ashok Vihar area in Delhi allegedly by the relatives of the girl who had married against the family wish. In yet another suspected incident of honour killing, throats of a Bhumihar girl and a Yadav boy were slit in Punjab after they had eloped.

Advocates Ravi Kant and Prakash Kumar Singh, on behalf of the petitioner, sought direction to the governments to come out with a stringent law to prevent the incidents of honour killings in the country. The counsels stressed the need for making the incidents of honour killing a heinous crime for which a special law was needed.

The petition alleged that government’s inertia to deal with the menace was on account of its vote bank politics, adding, such killings allegedly carried out at the instance of khap panchayats (caste councils). “The states have remained mute spectators to such crimes and have remained completely silent on even strengthening the law to combat such crimes. The states have not drafted any monitoring mechanism for keeping a watch on such crimes” , said the petition filed through counsel Prakash Kumar Singh.

It said: “In many cases they (governments) have failed to prosecute the people who are involved in disturbing public tranquillity. This has resulted in severe violation of fundamental rights under Article 14 (equality before law) and Article 19 (freedom of expression and speech) of the Constitution of India” .

The brutal killings under the garb to save the honour of the family were against the constitutional provision of Article 21 (Protection of life and personal liberty), said the petition.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/Why-cant-you-stop-honour-killings-SC-asks-Centre-states/articleshow/6077130.cms

by NNLRJ INDIA

Honour killings: SC demands answers

THE TIMES OF INDIA
NEW DELHI: With honour killings repeatedly making national headlines, the Supreme Court on Monday issued notices to the Centre, Haryana and seven states seeking their response on the steps taken to protect young couples from the deadly wrath of khap panchayats.

A vacation Bench comprising Justices R M Lodha and A K Patnaik were initially reluctant to entertain a PIL filed by NGO ‘Shakti Vahini’ highlighting the rein of terror of khap panchayats dishing out extreme penalties to couples who fell in love or eloped transgressing the socially resented sagotra marital relationships.

When the Bench was weighing the necessity of the court’s intervention when it appeared to it that the government was alive to the situation, counsel for the NGO Ravi Kant said that FIRs have been registered only after the brutal murder of couples.

“No step was taken to prevent such extreme punishment awarded by kangaroo courts in the name of saving family and community honour,” he said, adding apart from numerous honour killings reported from Haryana and others states, two incidents have been reported from Delhi in the last couple of days.

Politicians have added fuel to the fire by making statements that appeared to approve the doings of the khap panchayats mainly because these village committees influenced the voters to a large extent, Kant alleged. The issuance of notice on the PIL against honour killings ordered ostensibly by khap panchayats assumes significance as just a week back the apex court had refused to entertain another PIL seeking amendment to the Hindy Marriage Act for a ban on same `gotra’ marriages, a plea raised militantly by khap panchayats.

The PIL has sought a direction to the Centre and the states of Haryana, UP Punjab, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh where it said honour killings have been practised in one form or the other.

It said the khap panchayat-inflicted punishment on couples marrying against social norms could be equated with long-term low level physical abuse and bullying as a punishment for bringing alleged dishonor to the family.

“Such crimes include battery, torture, mutilation, rape, forced marriage, imprisonment within the home, and even murder. These crimes are intended to protect the family honour by preventing and punishing women for allegedly violating community norms for behaviour — particularly sexual behaviour. Women have been abducted, arrested, or raped and are often blamed for shaming their families. Reasons for honour killings can be as trivial as talking to a man, or as innocent as suffering rape. These crimes are often collective and premeditated,” it said.

The NGO suggested that the states should constitute a special cell in each district which should be able to provide protection to the khap tormented couples once they approach it.

by NNLRJ INDIA

PUBLIC INTEREST LITIGATION ON HONOUR KILLINGS FILED IN SUPREME COURT

DHANANJAY MAHAPATRA IN THE TIMES OF INDIA

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a PIL seeking amendment to the Hindu Marriage Act to ban same ‘gotra’ marriages, a plea that was earlier raised by khap panchayats that got support from political circles in Haryana. A vacation bench comprising justices Deepak Verma and K S Radhakrishnan told petitioner Naresh Kadyan’s counsel K T S Tulsi that his client would do better to move the high court concerned which had the power and jurisdiction to decide the issue.

When Tulsi argued that the issues raised in the petition had a pan-Indian appeal, the bench said the HC could decide such matters. This made Tulsi to request withdrawal of the PIL. The bench allowed that with liberty to the petitioner to raise the issue afresh before the HC.

Though the SC refused to entertain the PIL on amendment to HMA, another PIL by NGO ‘Shakti Vahini’ was filed in the apex court seeking protection for couples facing threat from khap panchayats for marrying against prevailing social norms.

Seeking a direction to the Centre and the states of Punjab, Haryana, UP, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, where honour killings have been practised in one form or the other, the petitioner NGO said it was time the governments at the Centre and the states thought of taking preventive measures against this social evil.

“Such crimes include battery, torture, mutilation, rape, forced marriage, imprisonment within the home and even murder. These crimes are intended to protect the family honour by preventing and punishing women for allegedly violating community norms of behaviour, particularly sexual behaviour. Women have been abducted, arrested or raped and are often blamed for shaming their families. Reasons for honour killings can be as trivial as talking to a man, or as innocent as suffering rape. These crimes are often collective and premeditated,” it said.

The NGO said states should constitute a special cell in each district where couples could approach for safety that should lead to active prosecution of those responsible for honour killings.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/SC-throws-out-PIL-seeking-ban-on-same-gotra-unions/articleshow/6048747.cms

by NNLRJ INDIA

24 Nepali girls rescued from Pune brothels

SUNDAR KHANAL  IN MY REPUBLICA

KATHMANDU, May 13: Around two dozen Nepali girls, all minors, were rescued from a red-light area in in the Indian city of Pune in raids undertaken by Indian police Monday.

According to Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Shivajee at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Andhra Pradesh that collaborated with Pune city police to carry out the raids, seven Nepali minors have confirmed their addresses in Nepal. “They were handed over to Puna Rescue Foundation for counseling and protection,” he said. Indian police also arrested two Nepali nationals allegedly for trafficking, and said they have been identified as Rekha Das and Sheela Thapa. DIG Shivajee said the remaining minors, who seem to be Nepali nationals, are yet to confirm their addresses and have been undergoing counseling. “As they had been exploited and tortured continuously, they seem to be in a trauma still and would take time for proper communication with us,” he added. All Nepali girls rescued from the brothels in Budhwar Peth in Pune are under 21, and under Indian law this is considered underage in terms of foreign nationals. Shivajee, in a telephonic interview with myrepublica.com, urged the Nepal government to take initiative for the repatriation and rehabilitation of the victims.

Rishi Kant, a renowned social worker heading the NGO ´Shakti Vahini´ in India, said many Nepali girls and women are found to have been forced to work in brothels in Pune and other Indian cities and this was a serious issue. “We take this issue very seriously. Most of the Nepali women and girls seem to have been brought here by a wide ring of traffickers and in mos cases the victims seem to hail from poverty-stricken areas,” he added. He also urged the Nepal government to immediately send a team of officials to facilitate repatriation of the rescued minors and apprise themselves of the gravity of the problem. Kant said this is the first time ever that Nepali girls appear to have been brought from Nepal first to Andhra Pradesh and then to Pune. “This is the new modus operandi (MO) for girl-trafficking from Nepal to India,” he added.

Around 83 women including minors were rescued in the raids, DIG Shivajee said. The raids were carried out after a minor girl from Anantnagar district in Andhra Pradesh, who was forced into prostitution in Pune, managed to flee the brothel with the help of her mother. According to Indian police, most of the women rescued have been in Pune for more than four years. “We were informed that women in brothels here had been living a bonded life,” a police official was quoted as saying in a media report. In 2007, Indian police had raided brothels in Budhwar Peth and rescued around 30 girls. The police also arrested seven traffickers including two Nepali nationals during the raids and produced them in court. The court granted a transit remand for the traffickers and told the police to produce them at Anantpur Court by May 14.

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=18569

by NNLRJ INDIA

Bengal girl rescued

Devesh K. Pandey

NEW DELHI: Gita (name changed), 16, was brought to the Capital from Sundarbans in West Bengal by a tout about three months ago and placed as a domestic help in a house. Unable to bear the harassment at the hands of her employer, she escaped and boarded a train to Karnal in Haryana. Her father, a farm labourer, is now here to take her back home.

Rescued Children at the Railway Station

Rescued Children at the Railway Station

A lost Gita was spotted at the Karnal railway station by the police about a week ago. NGO Shakti Vahini learnt through a local source about the girl. While Gita was sent to a shelter home in Karnal, her father was finally traced and brought to the Capital a couple of days ago. “About three months ago, one Subor Mandal contacted me and offered the job of a domestic help to my daughter in Delhi. He also promised to pay Rs.2,500 to me. But he never got the money.” Gita purportedly told the NGO representatives that her employer did not pay her any salary and used to physically assault her. “The victim’s father went along with us to Karnal to get her custody. They are now in Delhi and will board a train back home on Monday morning. We are trying to get a case registered against the tout there,” said Ravi Kant of Shakti Vahini.

A large number of minor girls like Gita are allegedly being trafficked to the NCR on the pretext of placement as domestic helps. In an operation, the NGO in coordination with Human Rights Law Network and Childline (central zone) had rescued three minor girls at the New Delhi railway station on March 18. All of them had been brought to work as domestic helps. During the operation, the alleged trafficker, a resident of Jalpaiguri in West Bengal, was also detained.

“Minors are being trafficked to the Capital from Jharkhand, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh. Though Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Siliguri have been a source of trafficking since a long time, there has been a surge in the cases in the recent past. Job losses at the tea gardens of Darjeeling are one of the major reasons behind this.”

http://www.hindu.com/2010/04/05/stories/2010040562020300.htm

by NNLRJ INDIA

SC orders probe into trafficking of NE kids

NEW DELHI: Following reports of 76 children from Assam and Manipur, most of them minor girls, being rescued from “homes” run by missionaries in Tamil Nadu, the Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered a probe into a possible trafficking racket involving tribal children. The Tamil Nadu police, in its affidavit before the SC, said, “Pastor Shaji was arrested at Somanur in Coimbatore district on February 12 and remanded to judicial custody. Effective steps are being taken to nab the absconding accused Rev Paul.”  A Bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justices Deepak Verma and B S Chauhan accepted amicus curiae Aparna Bhat’s suggestion for a probe into the matter. The National Commission for Protection of Children’s Rights will carry out the probe.  Additional solicitor-general Indira Jaising said the TN police had not detailed the facts of the case to the court. “How could these children be taken more than 1,000km away without anyone noticing anything,” Jaising asked.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/SC-orders-probe-into-trafficking-of-NE-kids/articleshow/5748702.cms

In this regard Shakti Vahini had approached the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR ) and Ministry of Home Affairs on January 10 , 2010  to investigate and order a CBI enquiry of large scale trafficking of children from North East.

“Rescued boys hail from North Cachar Hills”

Sushanta Talukdar IN THE HINDU

GUWAHATI: The Guwahati Childline discovered that all the 24 trafficked minor boys from Assam — who were rescued in Tamil Nadu on Monday — hail from the North Cachar Hills district. Dipen Kalita, Centre Coordinator of Childline, told The Hindu that they have received a list containing the names and addresses of the boys from the Director of the Tirunelveli Childline in Tamil Nadu. “Going by the addresses given in the list, all the 24 boys hail from the N.C. Hills district. One of them is 15 while the rest are in the age group of six to 14. We will approach the N.C. Hills police for assistance in tracing the parents, and if required, we will network with local NGOs in reaching out to the families,” Mr. Kalita said.

He said the organisation would also place the list before the Child Welfare Committee of the Social Welfare department on Saturday. Mr. Kalita said the immediate concern of the Guwahati Childline was to bring the children here at the earliest and initiate measures to repatriate them with their families. Two Delhi-based NGOs — Shakti Vahini and Vikalp Dhara — that are fighting the trafficking menace sent a memorandum to Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi urging him to order the Social Welfare department to send a team to Tamil Nadu to ensure safe repatriation and trauma counselling.

http://www.hindu.com/2010/01/30/stories/2010013055261300.htm

NGO for CBI probe into trafficked kids

Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, January 28 2010: Even as chairperson of the National Commission for Protection of Children Rights has rushed to Kanyakumari to monitor the situation, Shakti Vahini, an NGO, and various other organizations have demanded of the Centre to conduct a CBI inquiry into the incident of rescue of 76 Assam and Manipur children from an unregistered children’s home in Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu on January 25

National Commission for Protection of Children Rights chairperson Shanta Sinha rushed to Kanyakumari yesterday morning to monitor the situation. The 76 children were rescued from a home at Kulitorai in Tamil Nadu’s Kanyakumari district. All the children are boys in the 10-14-year age group. Prabhakaran, a member of the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) that rescued the children, said that the boys were forced to live in an appalling condition. This is the second time that the CWC has rescued trafficked children from the Northeast in Tamil Nadu, he said. According to sources, the 76 children were rescued from an unregistered orphanage called Bedesta Blessing Home located in Kanyakumari.

The sources further disclosed that Bedesta Blessing Home lacked both infrastructure and enough food to feed the children, and the crackdown on the home was conducted by members of the CWC of Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu. Fifty-four of the 76 children are from Manipur and the rest are from Assam, the sources said, adding that the children had been staying at the Home since July 2009 . Shakti Vahini, Bikalpa Dhara and other organizations have urged the Union Home Minister to ask the CBI to investigate the matter. In a letter to the Minister, Shakti Vahini president Ravi Kant said: “These are very disturbing trends.

Trafficking from the Northeast and eastern Himalayan region is on the rise and it needs a detailed investigation. We are enclosing all the reports… these reports may be the tip of the iceberg and there are all possibilities that organized gangs have started operating in the area to traffick women and children. We seek a detailed inquiry into these reports and cases of trafficking by the CBI” .

http://www.e-pao.net/GP.asp?src=19..290110.jan10

Assam police waiting for details of boys rescued in Tamil Nadu

Sushanta Talukdar

Guwahati: The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Assam Police is trying to get details about the 22 Assam boys, who were rescued, along with 54 others belonging to Manipur, by the Tamil Nadu police in Chennai and Kanyakumari. Inspector General of Police (IGP), CID and the State nodal officer for anti-trafficking Mukesh Sahay told The Hindu that he was trying to get in touch with Tamil Nadu CID officials. “The first level investigation will be done by the Tamil Nadu CID and we hope to get the preliminary information from them within the next two to three days,” he said.

Two Delhi-based NGOs — Shakti Vahini and Vikalp Dhara — that is fighting the trafficking menace have demanded a thorough inquiry into cases of trafficking from the northeastern States. Following the rescue of the boys, they wrote to N.S. Kalsi, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Home Affairs, on Wednesday drawing his attention to the increase in trafficking from the north-east.

They pointed out that the Tamil Nadu rescue was not an isolated case. “Trafficking from north-east India and the eastern Himalaya region is continuously on the rise and needs a detailed investigation,” wrote Ravi Kant, president, Shakti Vahini.

The letter also said media reports might indicate the tip of the iceberg and in all probability organised gangs had begun operating to traffick in women and children. Shakti Vahini alleged that the Assam government had not realised the gravity of the situation as could be gauged from the fact there was no official response from the State. Ideally, the Assam government should have immediately rushed a team to Tamil Nadu for the safe repatriation of the rescued children in cooperation with the Tamil Nadu government, it said.

http://www.hindu.com/2010/01/29/stories/2010012955091300.htm

National panel to take up child trafficking issue

Spl Correspondent in Assam Tribune Dated 28.01.2010

NEW DELHI, Jan 27 – The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) is rushing a team to Chennai to take up the issue of trafficked children from Assam and Manipur. The decision to despatch a team to Tamil Nadu came following pressure from NGOs to institute a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry on the large-scale trafficking from Assam and North-Eastern States.

Chairperson of the NCPCR, Shanta Sinha told newsmen that a team has been assigned to visit Tamil Nadu to take up the issue with the State Government.The Commission is also going to convene a meeting of the North-Eastern States and the destination States to work out a coordination plan for State to State mechanism. “We are concerned about the North-Eastern States,” said the chairperson.

Meanwhile, a delegation of Shakti Vahini and Bikalpa Dhara also met the chairperson with a demand to institute an inquiry and take necessary action.In a memorandum to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the two NGOs called for a CBI probe into the whole issue of trafficking. Trafficking from the North-East India and Eastern Himalaya region is continuously on the rise and needs a detailed investigation. There are all the possibilities that organised gangs have started operating in the area to traffic women and children.

Since these crimes are spread over different States it would be beneficial that this investigation is done by federal agency like the CBI, the NGOs said.

It was also pointed out that the Chennai incident is not an isolated case, in July last the Kolkata police had rescued 25 North-East children who were going towards Andhra Pradesh.Similarly, there was a media report about the plight of 1600 children who had been shifted to schools in Karnataka.

On August 5, 2008, Nagaland girls were rescued from traffickers in Malaysia. One trafficker was caught in Nagaland but nothing happened. “These are very disturbing trends,” said Rishi Kant of Shakti Vahini.

At least 76 children hailing from Manipur and Assam were rescued by Child Welfare Committee, Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu from a children’s home in Magappair, Tamil Nadu. This is the second time that CWC had rescued trafficked children from Manipur in Tamil Nadu.All the rescued children were rescued from an unregistered orphanage called Bedesta Blessing Home located at Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu.Earlier, the CWC claimed to have rescued 17 from a Children Home in Magappair, Tamil Nadu few days back. Reports have it that Bedesta Blessing Home lacked both infrastructure and enough food to feed the children and the crackdown was done by the members of CWC of Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu.Out of the 76 children, 54 of them (all boys) belong to Manipur while the remaining hail from Assam, the source said adding the children were staying at BB Home since July, 2009.

http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/details.asp?id=jan2810/at06