PATNA: Amid reports of honour killings taking place elsewhere in the country, Bihar boasts of providing an incentive of Rs 25,000 to women opting for inter-caste marriage. But Muslims continue to be discriminated against in this matter monetary and matrimonial.
It was way back in 1979 that the state government’s welfare department issued a circular (6642 dated November 13, 1979) providing for a payment of Rs 5,000 each to women opting for inter-caste marriage. The idea was to “end caste system and discourage dowry system in the society”.
In 1999, the state government okayed a proposal to increase the amount to Rs 25,000. “The government intends to empower women, and this incentive is a step towards this direction,” said a state official.
According to official sources, there are certain eligibility criteria for getting this incentive. One, both the spouses should be natives of Bihar. Two, both should be tying the knot for the first time; divorcees are not entitled to the incentive. Last but not the least, the incentive is meant only for Hindu couples.
Apparently because Islam doesn’t recognise any caste-based hierarchy, the government didn’t think of including Muslim women in the list of targeted beneficiaries.
“But there does exists a caste system among Muslims in India,” said Ali Anwar, a Rajya Sabha member whose Pasmanda Muslim Mahaz spearheads a movement for reservation to backward Muslims. “Why only a small monetary incentive of Rs 25,000? The government should also provide jobs to women opting for inter-caste marriage,” he said.
Imarat-e-Shariah nazim Anisur Rahman nods. “There’s no concept of caste in Islam. But a caste-based system of sorts has developed over the years in the Muslim society of our country,” he said and added the government should provide the incentive to Muslim women too.
Muslim youths too are against this “discriminatory practice”. “I am also in favour of inter-caste marriage,” Md Sharif, an MBA student, said and added the government should seriously think about extending the benefits of the incentive to Muslim women so as to promote inter-caste marriages among Muslims as well. “The aim should be the same: removing caste barriers,” he said.
Not that Hindu women tying the knot with a man not belonging to their caste have made a beeline to claim the incentive. In Patna district, for instance, only 66 such women came forward and got the money during the five years till 2009-10. Maybe, the amount is too meagre __ not raised for the last 11 years __ to attract all the couples opting for inter-caste marriage.