From infanticide to foeticide: a study of femicide in India (with reference to Varanasi)

India, like many other countries of the world, has a history of neglect, discrimination and violence against women and the girl children, sometimes culminating in femicide, an extreme form of gender-based violence against women and the girl children that manifests itself in many forms in the Indian scenario such as Sati, dowry deaths, female infanticide and foeticide. The present paper examines the phenomenon of female infanticide and foeticide in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India, through the frameworks of “violence” and “culture”. The district Varanasi holds a significant place as far as this particular form of femicide is concerned. The first documented evidence of female infanticide in India is of Benares Division during colonial period. In current scenario also, Varanasi district occupies a central position acting as hub for some of the surrounding States and districts for sex determination and selective abortion of the female foetuses. The study, besides throwing light on the prevalence of femicide in Varanasi, explores the reasons behind the heinous crime that takes away the ‘right to live’ from a girl child. Additionally, it evaluates the effectiveness of the Government of India’s flagship programme, ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ (BBBP), in addressing the problem. The paper seeks answers to some of the critical questions, aiming to provide insights into the prevalence and causes of this practice.