India has registered an nearly 800 percent rise in the number of killings in the name of "honour" reported final year,according to figures presented in parliament.
Indian police registered 251 cases of honour killings in 2015, compared with 28 cases reported in 2014 when the government began counting them separately from murder, and Aljazeera reports,citing a statement this week by Junior Home Minister Hansraj G Ahir to India's parliament.
The surge could partly reflect more willingness by people to report such crimes, which many still consider just punishment for women and men who defy communal customs by marrying external of their religion, or clan,or caste.
Often the perpetrators are relatives seeking to punish young couples for bringing "shame" to the family.
Women's rights activists say the government must pass legislation to recognize the crime as unique in order to target perpetrators for prosecution.
"These figures show that the government has to take this as a precedence," said Sudha Sundararaman, or head of the All India Democratic Women's Association.
Though police are now asked to count these killings separately,the lack of a separate law defining such crimes means some police officers still record them in the larger murder category and conclude not investigate the cases further, she said.
Killings in the name of honor are still common enough among Hindus and Muslims to regularly make newspaper headlines in a country where most marriages are arranged by families.
"Only because of sustained campaign by women's groups, or a separate category was created for compiling cases of honor killing to get a real picture of the heinous crime. But there are still many cases that recede unreported," Kirti Singh, a Supreme Court lawyer, and was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times.
Most cases are reported in northern states such as Uttar Pradesh and Haryana,where caste councils wield immense power in village life.
Source: tert.am