Her son was brutally murdered to preserve someone's family honour. Speaking to MiD DAY Neelam Katara slams the Khap regime and urges the government to wake up
Her son was brutally murdered to preserve someone's family honour. Speaking to MiD DAY Neelam Katara slams the Khap regime and urges the government to wake up
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Long before 'honour killings' became a media buzzword, Neelam Katara had lived the nightmare, when her 24-year-old son Nitish was murdered eight years ago. Her long and arduous battle for justice ended with success in 2008. No wonder Neelam has strong views on murders in the name of protecting family honour.
While she calls it a feudal system in a modern society Neelam thrashes the matrimonial websites which openly publicise the caste system in the country.
"Caste should not have any bearing on someone's selection of a life partner and it's not only the khap panchayats who are to be blamed here. It's a deep-rooted social evil which must be tackled in all possible ways. The way matrimonial websites and advertisements printed in newspapers portray caste preferences says a lot about the mentality of the society," Neelam said. She also reprimanded the media for promoting such advertisements.
But she also pointed out the need for more youngsters coming out in support of inter-caste and inter-religion marriages. "It's sad that even among youngsters there is hardly any consciousness towards this social evil. Caste-based marriages are not bad but at the same time caste should not be the only consideration. Even
| DELAYED JUSTICE |
| Neelam Katara, who is a teacher by profession, became a national hero when she decided to fight against politician D P Yadav and his two sons Vikas and Vishal Yadav. Nitish Katara was killed in 2002 after the two brothers got to know about his love affair with their sister Bharti Yadav. |
Sharing her personal experiences Neelam said: "I did not teach Nitish about caste. My son is gone but a point has been made with his tragic death. Let's not be selfish; it can happen to anyone. It's better to understand the situation now and take care of it."
But at the same time she had a piece of advice for all the youngsters who have fallen in love with people from different castes. "Youngsters need to make up their mind and they must communicate properly with their elders and parents.
Most importantly they should first get a sound and settled career so that they would be able to bear the responsibilities of marriage and life after it," she said.
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