Honour killings a cause for concern\'

KOCHI: National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) chairman K.G. Balakrishnan has said the increasing incidents of �honour killings in the country is a cause for serious concern.

In an informal interaction with reporters here on Friday, Mr. Balakrishnan said what was coming out in the media was only the tip of the iceberg, as several young men and women were being murdered by their own people for marrying against the wishes of their families.

Asked if a new law was required to battle the crime, Mr. Balakrishnan said effective policing and better investigation were important. �The courts and the police need to be more sensitive to the issue, he said.

He did not think it wise to charge with murder the entire members of a village meeting that said �yes to an honour killing. Asked if the NHRC would have a role in combating honour killing, Mr. Balakrishanan said it was basically a law and order problem and that it was up to the police and courts to handle it.

Mr. Balakrishnan said that if the Right to Education Act was implemented well, the problem of child labour could be tackled to a large extent as children would be at school rather than at workplace.