IN a statement issued on December 7, the All India Democratic Women’s Association has expressesed deep concern over the alarming increase in honour crimes and killings as has been reported by the minister of state for home affairs while answering a question in the Lok Sabha. According to the reply given by him there has been a 79 percent increase in just one year, ie, from 28 cases in 2014 to 251 cases in 2015. 

AIDWA has been demanding a separate law to address these crimes since 2010, and also submitted a draft bill to the law ministry. It may be recalled that the UPA-II government had constituted a GOM to look into the issue. However  when an AIDWA delegation met the present law minister Sadananda Gowda on July 23 with a demand that he should pursue the matter, it is on record that he refused to do so by saying that he feared that "it would be misused like the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act or Sec 498A of the IPC." 

AIDWA has already started the process of collecting signatures on a petition demanding a special law to deal with the so-called crimes in the name of honour, and maintenance of separate and proper records of these particular crimes. It reiterated these demands in light of the recently released data.