Honor killing in India: 25-year-old man kills underage sister in Bihar and buries body in riverbed

Young girl
Age: 15
Strangled: October 21, 2023
Residence: Laukaha, Madhubani district, Bihar
Origin: India
Children: she was a child herself
Perpetrator: her brother Om Prakash Yadav

A 25-year-old man strangled his 15-year-old sister on Saturday night, October 21, after seeing her in a compromising position with a young man during prayers at a local temple in Bihar's Madhubani district. After the girl failed to return from prayer, her mother alerted the police. Despite extensive searches, every trace of her was missing.

After extensive investigations, suspicions arose that the elder brother, Om Prakash Yadav, was busy misleading the police and that he himself might be the culprit. He eventually confessed that he had killed his sister and buried her body in the riverbed. Om Prakash was arrested and sent to jail. Police consider the murder a case of "honor killing."

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.