Cutting off Hands / Honour killing What is happening ?

Before its too late to comment, before it becomes too common to notice, and before we become too indifferent to this gruesome brutality let me voice my views. First i thought why should i even bother to comment on whats happening, but what hppens if all of us keep quiet ? what happens if no one is bothered ? EDdmund bruke the Noted statesman once said " All that is necessary for triumph of evil is for good man to do nothing " , this wouldn't sound more apt any other day. Iam not advocating my righteousness out here, iam bringing your attention to the lawlessness in the society.

The news of the public amputation of the professors hand was a shocker, how can this be happening in our state where there is a relatively higher sense of morality than any other place in India. I agree to the fact that the protaganist out here had committed a grevious crime by hurting the sentiments of a religions pious followers, but the concerned authority had acted very appropriately and criminal investigations was proceeding against him. No justification can be given to the assailants for doing such a henious act, we have a very commendable system of jurisprudence present in our country, we do not live in a jungle, here in this modern society what prevails is principles of natural justice.

By the acts of the sparingly few fanatics the whole community is getting condemned . The only silver lining out here is the solidarity with which the civilised community reacted by standing strongly against it. The majority still has its conscience intact.Fanaticsm or violence under the banner of any organised ideology should not be tolerated under any circumstances.

We dont want to be talibanised or dictated on morality. Its not only the extremism down south that is disturbing. The exessive morality imposed on the name of honour is quite appalling. Whose honour are you protecting by slaughtering your loved ones and in front of whom ? The judgements of these pseudo self righteous guardians of social moral sounds quiet amusing. And the fact that there are people adhering to such archaic senseless laws and customs even today is even more surprising .

Out of pure curiosity i had delved into the history of this controversy, in ancient India where discrete polygamy was widely practised and villagers went out for trade and commerce into far off villages for months together, there was a risk of cross sibling nuptials taking place. The father could be absent to stop such a disastrous thing to happen, so a law was adopted by the dominant banning intra village marriages. Another version says that it was brought out to limit the dilution of lineage and even to avoid pilferage of community wealth into outsiders hands. These circumstances are irrelevant today.

We had outrageous social customs like sati and child marriage practised in India even till the begining of the last century. It was a socailly accepted practise and highly in practise in many parts, but it was not right and our policy makers had the audacity to abolish it from our society, today we are daunted by a similiar evil. Have you ever wondered why men were not forced to jumb into the pyre of his wife upon her death, because as usual the customs were evolved by the dominant oppressive patriarchy.

It feels like we are deteriorating as human beings day by day, enforcing jungle justice in day to day lives. More than the cruelty of this miniscule minority, it is the acquiescence of the majority to such practices that is disturbing. How many hands will be amputated, how many innocent youth will be lynched to death before the society will wake up. Lets hope that we will not fall pray to their evil plot and live long enough to see a just and tolerant society.

Tc