‘Honour killing’: Police round up brothers of 22-yr-old victim

THE GIRL, WHO WAS SIXMONTH PREGNANT, WAS ALLEGEDLY CREMATED BY HER BROTHERS AND MOTHER SECRETLY

HOSHIARPUR: In a suspected case of honour killing, of a 22-year-old girl of Binjon village in the Garhshankar sub-division, the police on Friday rounded up her two brothers.

The girl, stated to be six-month pregnant, had died on June 5 at her home and was allegedly cremated secretly the same evening by her brothers and mother.

Family came to know about her pregnancy when the girl was taken to a private hospital in Mahilpur for a checkup. Her brothers wanted the foetus to be aborted, but since the pregnancy was at an advanced stage, the doctor refused to do so.

No one in the village got a whiff of the matter till a Gujjar family, witness to the cremation, confided in a fellow villager. Villagers approached the victim's mother and she claimed that her daughter had died a natural death. “She was found dead on her bed. Her limbs had stiffened," she claimed. The panchayat, not convinced with her averments, informed the police. Sarpanch Paramjit Kaur said, "Actions of the family indicated of something fishy. The haste in cremating the body makes matter suspicious .”

Sources said the Dalit girl, was in a relationship with a boy of higher caste, but the families did not approve of their liaison. They revealed that the girl's father was beaten up and thrown out of the house by her brothers many years ago. The old man is said to be staying in an old age home, they claimed.

SSP J Elanchazhian said that although no formal complaint was received from anyone, he had marked an inquiry to Garhshankar DSP.

DSP Raj Kumar called the deceased's brothers to the police station for questioning. Inquiries were also made from the doctor, who had examined the girl. Asked if the police had gathered samples from the cremation site for forensic examination, the DSP said the family had already immersed the ashes. He said,"the probe has started, but till we get sufficient evidence, we cannot say how the girl died."

Police are also working on the suicide angle.