Two months after a young couple got married secretly, the boy was chased down a street and his throat slit by the girl’s brother on Saturday in a UP village barely 75km from Delhi. His bride met the same fate when she rushed to his rescue.
Neighbours Sonu Kumar and Danista, both around 20, eloped Friday night after a panchayat in Fatehpur village, close to Ghaziabad, ordered them to separate. The girl’s family was against the union on grounds of religion. Sonu claimed the two had had a court marriage two months ago.
“After the panchayat, the couple eloped but came back Saturday morning. The girl’s infuriated family members, however, murdered them both,” Hapur district SP RP Pandey said.
Danista’s brother, Talib, chased Sonu down the street and attacked him with a knife, Sonu’s brother Sanjeev Kumar told HT. Hearing his screams, Danista also ran out. “But her brother pulled her hair and slashed her throat. Her mother arrived on the scene and instigated Talib to finish off the injured Sonu. Talib then slit his throat as villagers and children looked on,” said Manju, an eyewitness.
The police have arrested both Talib and his mother and lodged an FIR against six persons — including two more brothers of the girl and two of their friends — for rioting, murder and under provisions of the SC/ST Act. The remaining accused are on the run.
The alleged ‘honour killing’ comes just a fortnight after a DU student was strangled to death by her family in southwest Delhi’s Dwarka for marrying a man they didn’t approve of.