A 19-year-old pregnant woman was allegedly murdered by her family in an “honour killing” for marrying a Dalit man in Inam Veerapura village of Hubballi taluk, Karnataka.
The incident took place on Sunday evening at Inam-Veerapur village in Hubballi Rural taluk. The victim, identified as Manya, was six to seven months pregnant at the time of the assault.
She sustained severe injuries after being attacked and was rushed to a private hospital in Hubballi, where she died later that night.
Her husband, Vivekananda, and his parents were also injured in the attack. Vivekananda has been admitted to KIMS Hospital in Hubballi, while his mother and other family members are undergoing treatment for serious injuries.
According to the police, Manya had entered into an inter-caste marriage with Vivekananda, a Dalit youth from the same village, in May this year.
The marriage was strongly opposed by her family, who belong to the Lingayat community. Following threats from her relatives, the couple had been staying at a relative’s house in Haveri. They returned to Inam-Veerapur village on December 8.
Police said that soon after the marriage, they had summoned Manya’s parents and warned them to stay away from the couple.
A written assurance was taken from her father, Prakashgouda Patil. Despite this, Prakashgouda reportedly visited Vivekananda’s house several times this month to meet his daughter.
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here.