How Honour-Based Killings in India Are Sustained and Justified

Caste in India is not an individual problem but a deeply rooted social phenomenon. It survives and thrives because families, communities, and entire social structures enforce and legitimize it. Honour killings — violent acts committed to protect “family honour” when caste norms are defied — represent one of the starkest manifestations of this system. They reveal how deeply entrenched caste remains in Indian society, even as modernity and social justice movements attempt to challenge it.

Honour Killings and the Challenge to Caste Hierarchy:

• One of the greatest threats to caste rigidity has been the empowerment of marginalised communities, especially Dalits, through education, employment, and social justice interventions. When these communities gain access to mainstream opportunities, they interact with dominant caste groups on equal terms — in workplaces, educational spaces, cities, and relationships.
• This has created a new frontier of social tension: inter-caste marriages, particularly unions involving Dalit men and dominant caste women. These marriages represent not just personal choices but a direct challenge to centuries-old hierarchies. For conservative families, such challenges are seen as intolerable, often leading to honour killings.

The Paradox of Empowerment and Violence

• According to the India Human Development Survey (IHDS-II), only about 5% of marriages in India are inter-caste. However, States like Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Maharashtra, and Kerala — where Dalits have gained relatively greater empowerment — record higher rates of inter-caste marriages. Interestingly, these States also report a higher number of honour killings.
• This paradox reveals a disturbing truth: honour killings occur not where casteism is strongest, but where it is most threatened. In regions where caste hierarchy remains unchallenged, violence is less visible, not because casteism is absent, but because the status quo is preserved. Violence, therefore, emerges as a reaction to the erosion of caste boundaries.

Tamil Nadu’s Caste Contradiction

• Tamil Nadu illustrates this paradox most vividly. The State has a strong anti-caste legacy and vibrant democratic voices that reject caste-based violence. Yet, caste pride continues to thrive in private spaces and online platforms.
• On social media, caste identities are glorified, and some anonymous accounts even justify honour killings. This shows a collective-progressive but individually-conflicted culture: in public, caste violence is condemned, but in private conversations, marriage alliances, and digital spaces, caste loyalties persist.
• Tamil Nadu represents a space in transition — balancing tradition with change. It is where strong opposition to casteism and subtle reinforcement of caste live side by side.

Family as the Stronghold of Caste:

• While caste-based organisations and political parties reinforce caste divisions, the real roots of caste endurance lie within the family unit. Through everyday customs, rituals, marriage arrangements, and social expectations, caste is transmitted across generations. Children internalise caste boundaries long before they can question them.
• This makes the family the strongest and oldest vehicle for caste survival. However, changing social trends, especially among urban youth, are weakening this mechanism.

Changing Family Dynamics and the Future of Caste

• Globally, societies such as South Korea and Japan are witnessing declining marriage and fertility rates, weakening the centrality of the family unit. In India too, urban youth are beginning to prioritise autonomy, emotional well-being, and personal growth over traditional obligations.
• As the cultural importance of family declines, so too does the mechanism that sustains caste. While caste may not disappear overnight, its cultural infrastructure is slowly being dismantled — not through revolution, but through lifestyle changes, new relationship models, and evolving individual priorities.

Conclusion:

Caste in India today stands at a crossroads. On one side, violent honour killings and online caste pride demonstrate the fear of losing inherited power. On the other, democratic resistance and shifting social values reflect a slow but significant weakening of caste control.