Honour Killing of Newlywed Woman in Hisar, India

Sheetal
Age: 23
Murdered: October 29, 2023
Residence: Hisar, Azad Nagar area
Origin: India
Children: none
Perpetrators: uncle Jogendra Malik, sisters Sonia, Ranjana, brother Sandeep

Sheetal, a 23-year-old woman, was murdered on October 29, 2023, in Hisar, a city located to the west of New Delhi, India, in a suspected honor killing. Sheetal’s maternal uncle Jogendra Malik, and her sisters Sonia and Ranjana, along with her brother Sandeep are suspected to have murdered her on Sunday night and cremated the body immediately to avoid detection of crime. The suspects have been charged under sections 302 (murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offense, or giving false information to screen offender), and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.

Sheetal married Mandeep out of love on October 29, 2022. The alleged killers accused her of dishonoring the family and told her they would marry her off. A week before the murder, Sheetal was pressured to cooperate in her forced marriage and when she refused, her maternal uncle beat her up. Sheetal sent Mandeep a message on Sunday afternoon that her family threatened to kill her if she did not commit suicide. Mandeep met with her, reassured her and left. He later discovered that Sheetal had been murdered and cremated that same evening.

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.