AIDWA condemns murder of newly wed couple in Haryana

New Delhi, July 10 (UNI) The All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) today condemned ''honour killing'' of a newly-wed couple in Haryana, demanding stern action against the main accused, who, it alleged, had ''political patronage''.

Addressing reporters AIDWA General Secretary Sudha Sundararaman, flanked by the family of the murdered boy, said the Haryana government was encouraging ''feudal and anti- democratic'' practices.

Ms Sundararaman alleged that the girl's paternal Uncle Ganga Raj, a Congress party member, was responsible for the murder of-- Manoj and Bubli-- on June 15 and the boy's widowed mother and sisters were being harassed.

''The Haryana Government must bear the responsibility for the recent spate of honour killings in the state... These murders cannot be condoned. The main accused has political patronage,'' she added.

''The village Panchayat supported the killings and police have been complicit in the crime... The boy's family are being made victims of social boycott by the entire village. This shocking state of affairs cannot be allowed to continue,'' she said.

Ms Sundararaman said the recent spate of ''honour killings'' in Haryana have to be addressed as human rights violations.

Recounting the series of events, Manoj's sister Seema said both the families hailed from the Karoda village of Kaithal district.

''Manoj and Bubli eloped on April 6 and a few days later got married in a court. We had no knowledge about that. When we went to register a missing report police turned us away,'' she As both belonged to the same 'gotra' and 'caste', the village panchayat, though legally not authorised, termed their marriage as ''illegal'', she said.

''Subsequently, we were ostracized and our names even figured in FIR, charging us with kidnapping a minor girl,'' she added.

Demanding protection and relief for Manoj's family, the AIDWA general secretary said the petitions had been submitted to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and National Commission for Women (NCW).

An NCW inquiry-team will visit the village for an on-the-spot assessment of the incident.

UNI