Honour killing: Father kills 19-year-old daughter over love affair in Gujarat’s Bhavnaga | Rajkot News

RAJKOT: A shocking case of honour killing came to light in Bhavnagar district, with a man allegedly murdering his 19-year-old daughter over her romantic relationship with a youth from a lower caste.
The incident occurred in Ranparda village of Palitana taluka on March 7, but the details emerged on Tuesday when police received human intelligence information about the girl’s death.
The accused father was reportedly assisted by his brother, who assaulted the victim before the former strangled her at their house in the village. After killing the girl, the brothers allegedly attempted to destroy evidence by secretly cremating her body at the village crematorium without informing relatives.
The girl and her sister were working as diamond polishers in a local unit, police sources confirmed. According to police sources, the girl’s mother died around 10 years ago. For the past several years, her father worked at a factory in Surat, while she was employed in a diamond polishing unit near her native place along with her younger sister.
On March 5, the girl reportedly eloped with her lover. When her father learned about the elopement, he returned to his native village from Surat the next day and somehow managed to bring her back. On March 7, a bitter altercation broke out between the man and his daughter over her affair. The father then allegedly strangled her in the presence of her sister at their house, said police.
“The accused was consumed by the feeling that his daughter tarnished his reputation and made it impossible for him to live in the village and within his community. At the time of the murder, her younger sister was also present in the house. The father allegedly threatened her, warning that she would also be killed if she revealed anything,” sources in the police department confirmed.
According to sources, the victim’s younger sister informed her maternal uncle about the murder, who in turn, discussed the matter with his father and other family members. When they confronted the girl’s father about her death, he initially claimed that she consumed poison and died by suicide. However, further inquiry by the family revealed that she was murdered.
Deputy Superintendent of police (DySP) Mihir Bariya told TOI that the man fled to Surat after the crime.
On the complaint lodged by the deceased’s maternal grandfather, Palitana (rural) police registered an offence on March 11 against the brothers under relevant sections of BNS and rounded them up.
“After their formal arrest, both accused will be presented before the court for remand. Forensic experts will be roped in for reconstruction of the crime scene,” Bariya said.