Honor killing in India: Shaina Qureshi (20) was beheaded by her father and brother for refusing to participate in a forced marriage

Shaina Qureshi
Born: 2002
Beheaded: 12 August 2022
Residence: Shalimar Garden, Uttar Pradesh
Origin: India
Children: none
Perpetrators: father Shahid Qureshi (50 years old at the time of the crime), brother Azim Qureshi

On August 12, 2022, the headless corpse of a young woman was found in the Lakkhipura neighborhood of Meerut, a few days after, Uttar Pradesh police arrested a 50-year-old man named Shahid Qureshi. The suspect is the father of 20-year-old Shaina Qureshi.

Forced marriage
Shahid Qureshi wanted his daughter to marry and therefore had arranged a marriage for her. Shaina wanted to marry a man of her own choice. Seven months ago she had run away from home with her lover and neighbor named Waseem Saifi. Somehow Shaina was found and brought home. Then the family moved to Shalimar Garden. Shaina kept insisting on being allowed to marry her lover.

She was beheaded with a knife late at night
Shahid was furious that his daughter would not marry the man he had chosen for her and that she had run away from home with a man from a "lower caste." Shalid would kill Shaina late at night by slitting her throat, along with his eldest son Azim, while she slept. Shahid beheaded his daughter and wrapped the body in a sheet. The head was later found. Shahid and Azim confessed to the murder. To investigators, Shahid reportedly said that he "had no other choice."

What is an honour killing?

An honour killing is a murder in the name of honour. If a brother murders his sister to restore family honour, it is an honour killing. According to activists, the most common reasons for honour killings are as the victim:

refuses to cooperate in an arranged marriage.
wants to end the relationship.
was the victim of rape or sexual assault.
was accused of having a sexual relationship outside of marriage.

Human rights activists believe that 100,000 honour killings are carried out every year, most of which are not reported to the authorities and some are even deliberately covered up by the authorities themselves, for example because the perpetrators are good friends with local policemen, officials or politicians. Violence against girls and women remains a serious problem in Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Serbia and Turkey.