A chilling case of honour killing has come to the fore from Karnataka's Hubballi, where a 19-year-old pregnant woman was allegedly killed by her own father over inter-caste marriage.
Manya Patil, six months into her pregnancy, had defied family opposition by marrying a man from another caste earlier this year. Despite living in hiding for months, she met a brutal end upon returning to her native village, NDTV reported.
Manya tied the knot in May, going against her parents' fierce resistance. Fearing for their safety, she and her husband had relocated to Haveri district, about 100 km away, until December 8 when they returned home.
Teen Had Went Into Hiding, Got Killed The Day She Returned
Tensions boiled over Sunday as family members allegedly ambushed her husband and father-in-law at their agricultural field, but they managed to escape.
Between 6 and 6:30 pm, a group of attackers armed with iron pipes stormed into Manya's house, zeroing in on her as the prime target. Her desperate in-laws, Renukamma and Subhash, rushed to shield the young mother-to-be, the report said.
When they tried to protect her, the attackers turned on them too, raining blows in a brutal assault. While the in-laws suffered grave injuries, Manya succumbed to her wounds and was pronounced dead at the hospital.
The police quickly launched a probe into the incident and detained three suspects, including Manya's father Prakash Fakkirgoda and two close relatives.
Earlier reconciliation efforts between the families had failed to prevent the bloodshed. However, they failed as the family remained opposed to their daughter's inter-caste marriage.
A special investigation team is looking for others involved in the killing of the teenager.