Young women will die and Dalits suffer unless the world takes notice and forces governments to act
What price honor? Two fathers, heads of their families, shake hands on an agreement, sealing it and the fates of two young children. My word is my bond. I can never dishonor it for dishonor brings ostracism, even death, in a community of mutual help for survival. So it is, where those who bring dishonor must die.
And so it was for Samia Shahid, a 28-year old young woman from Bradford, England died recently in Pakistan under suspicious circumstances. Having been told her father was seriously ill — he was not — she had been visiting her northern Punjab family. Her husband suspecting an honor killing asked for help from the British authorities. He claimed her Sunni family had disapproved of her marriage to a Shia, yet she went ahead against their will, divorcing her first, family-picked husband. Her father said she had a sudden heart attack but an ordered autopsy revealed ligature marks on her neck. Since then her first husband has confessed. The irony in all of this is the indisputable fact that the founder of Pakistan, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, was Shia and a secularist.
Such upholding of family honor blights the subcontinent in a swathe running from western Uttar Pradesh through Pakistan and into Afghanistan.
On to the other side of the border in India, where recent events illustrate George Orwell got it all wrong: it wasn’t pigs who were more equal rather cows:
So to the mournful agony of the Dalits. If there is a hell on earth, it is the life of a Dalit, an Untouchable. In rural India, his family dare not drink from the village well — they may have to walk miles to another source; he dare not tread the regular paths of life — he is considered polluted, and any contact with him defiles the other. And the other … rules.
Violation of such unwritten codes can bring a severe beating or worse, even death. Thus a Dalit family skinning a cow carcass were set upon. They often dispose of such in a world of bare municipal services but they were accused of having killed the animal.
Yes, cows are holy — holier than a Dalit, and certainly holier than a Muslim. One might recall that on September 30, 2015, a Muslim farmer named Mohammad Akhlaq was killed and his son injured severely after being savagely beaten by villagers, following allegations he was eating beef. He was not, it turned out. Tough luck!
It was a Shiv Sena patrol engaged in protecting the sanctity of such holy cows that confronted the poor Dalits. The four men of the family were beaten with iron pipes, tied to the back of a vehicle, dragged to the nearest police station, and beaten further outside it. The seriously injured men were hospitalized.
There it would have ended but for a video, a video that went viral. Much as in the US where videos of police shootings have redounded to unanticipated effect, the Dalit video has led to spontaneous demonstrations across Gujarat. The Dalits were beaten on July 11 but the anger instead of abating has continued to grow. Perhaps it was the inherent injustice in the incident as the Dalits were simply doing their job; perhaps it was the rise of the cow vigilante groups — reports number them at near 200 now in Gujarat and harassment by them is growing.
Whatever the reason, the Dalits started their protest with demonstrations. At first ignored by Chief Minister Anandiben Patel, these became increasingly disruptive. And then Dalit men started attempting suicide believing it the only way to persuade the authorities to act. A laborer named Pareshbhai Dayabhai Rathod even attempted self-immolation but was thwarted by the crowd gathered around him. Over 30 suicide attempts have been recorded in the single state of Gujarat alone, and some have succeeded. Such unprecedented numbers signal desperation but they have been effective.
The issue soon became political. The ruling BJP party courting Dalit votes then moved swiftly to arrest the culprits. “… State government is taking strict action,” tweeted the Chief Minister. She has since had to resign.
Meanwhile, leaders of opposition parties soon headed to Gujarat. Congress’ Rahul Gandhi has been in Una to meet with the victimized family. The Aam Aadmi (meaning common man) Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal has met the victims. His party is planning protests across Gujarat.
In an environment where Dalit injustices are often ignored, perhaps there will be justice after all, at least this time.
Back across the border in Pakistan: A prominent model, would-be actress and notorious social media provocateur, admired for her (naive) courage and independence by liberals and vilified by religious conservatives, was murdered recently by her own brother. He was, he said, protecting the family honor. Really! Another “honor killing”, more appropriately “dishonor killing”. Ironic that the unfortunate girl had used her earnings to buy the family their house. It was where she was staying temporarily when killed.
Such is life on the subcontinent in the second decade of the 21st century. Two hundred and forty years ago, Thomas Jefferson wrote (in the US Declaration of Independence):
“We hold these truths to be self-evident that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed … with certain inalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness … “
Of course, cows are more equal than men … and men more equal than women. And young women will continue to die and Dalits continue to suffer unless the world takes notice and forces governments to act.