Killer dads
If the 23-year-old partner of an 18-year-old woman in Gujarat had not filed a habeas corpus petition, the murder of medical aspirant Chandrika would not have come to light – her family had explained her death in June as a heart attack/ suicide. Her father and uncle killed her because in the perversity of patriarchy, they feared her achievement of qualifying the very tough medical entrance exam NEET would bring the family 'dishonour'. Studying in a co-ed medical college was a no-no, having a partner sacrilege. They cut her off from the outside world, tasked her with household chores – because, of course, that's her 'duty' as a woman, and becoming a doctor was unthinkable. Then they killed her.
Chandrika qualified to study in a govt medical college – no mean feat. That she also fell in love just shows that youth will find a way no matter how strict the home-front. But what daughter can imagine that a parent would not be proud of such an achievement and that her father and uncle could plot to kill her? Every such story highlights the predatory nature of patriarchal families on their young. What is most chilling and scary here is the silence of the rest of the family, of the neighbourhood, of the community, and doubtless, in Banaskantha, the tribe or caste. It is this silence that allows parents and relatives to get away with murdering their children. How many crimes slip past?
It has taken decades for girls' education to be finally acceptable even in the most backward of societies. But even today, for lakhs of school-leaving girls, their dreams of higher education are shackled by ultra-conservative chains. Education opens the mind, allows imagination free rein. But for the likes of Chandrika's father, such freedom is scary – beyond 'control'. We would send girls to school but cannot tolerate their asserting their likes and dislikes, let alone freedom to choose a future. One can only be grateful for the power of love that took a worried 23-year-old to court – and a murder was discovered. Chandrika's killers must be punished severely as a warning to all such fathers who would murder their daughters.
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This piece appeared as an editorial opinion in the print edition of The Times of India.
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