Radhika’s killing and the illusion of progress: A grim reminder of our communal codes

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*

A young woman, a national-level athlete, was allegedly murdered by her father in Gurugram—initially portrayed as a case of wounded pride, mocked by locals for relying on his daughter's earnings. Yet deeper facts reveal a disturbing contradiction: this father lived comfortably, owning and renting out multiple houses in a posh locality. If he could invest in her education and coaching, why resent her success?

The answer lies in the battle between individual autonomy and communitarian identity. In India, a girl’s “independent life”—her choices, especially in love or career—can feel like treason to families steeped in caste and communal pride. Modern symbols like malls and luxury cars mean little when society still lynches over "hurt sentiments" and destroys livelihoods over imagined threats to religious identity.

Over the last decade, this code of hurt feelings has mutated into a powerful weapon. It breeds shame, betrayal, and often violence—even within families. Media plays its part too. The moment communal identity enters a story, narratives shift. A rumor of Radhika’s relationship with a Muslim man was enough to tip sympathy toward her killer. A father turns murderer, but society turns apologist.

We live under the shadow of jaati-based moral constitutions, stronger and crueler than the one written by Ambedkar. Legal rights and constitutional protections mean little when personal choices challenge caste pride or communal norms. Even liberal campaigns like #JusticeForRadhika lose steam when religion or inter-caste dynamics enter the discourse.

In truth, we are not individuals here. We're representatives of our jaatis, held hostage by their codes. Even “accepted” inter-religious marriages live under a silent agreement of social avoidance, isolation, and secrecy.

Dr. Ambedkar warned: a society cannot be built if it does not respect individuals. But we don’t. We celebrate conformity and punish assertion. Radhika’s life was snuffed out not for wrongdoing, but for daring to live freely.

So what is the lesson for our youth? That love is dangerous? That independence is betrayal? That family “cares” only when you obey? In our world, marriage is a public event where individual choice rarely matters. Unless a young person is emotionally and financially detached from their family, they risk becoming another Radhika.

These brutalities are not confined to one religion or caste. They happen across South Asia and migrate offshore to places like the UK and Canada. Our bigotry is ironically unified—even as we cling to fractured identities.

Can we dream of a society that celebrates individual will over communal codes? Perhaps I live in a utopia—but it is one worth imagining, even if it isolates us.

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*Human rights defender

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