Honour Killing in Northern India: Man murders daughter and parades body on motorcycle because she had been away from home for two days

Sumandeep Kaur
Age: 20
murdered: August 10, 2023
Residence: Muchal, Punjab
Origin: North-India
Children: none
Perpetrator: father Dalbir Singh

The 20-year-old Sumandeep Kaur left her home without informing her parents and remained absent for two days. Her father, Dalbir Singh, was furious.

When Sumandeep unexpectedly returned on Thursday, August 10th, she was attacked by her father. Surveillance footage captured Dalbir pulling his daughter's hair and brutally ending her life with a sharp object.

After her death, Sumandeep's body was paraded on a motorcycle through the village of Muchal, Punjab, in Northern India, by her father.

While in police custody, Dalbir Singh confessed to the heinous crime: "I killed my daughter because she was with someone outside. It was out of pride, and this should serve as a lesson to other girls."

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.