In a suspected case of honour killing, a woman was done to death allegedly by her parents on the outskirts of Usarapenta village of Palamaner mandal, 40 km from here, on Friday. Her husband, who was brutally attacked, fled for his life with their seven-day-old child.
Hemavathi, 23, daughter of Bhaskar Naidu, a farmer, fell in love with Kesavulu, 25, a Scheduled Caste youth of Usarapenta, and the couple eloped and got married two years ago. They kept changing houses fearing an attack by the woman’s family.
A week ago, Hemavathi gave birth to a son and Kesavulu informed his parents about it. His family members assured Kesavulu that they would speak to Hemavathi’s parents and bring about a rapprochement.
After being discharged from hospital on Friday, Hemavathi and Kesavulu, alighted from a bus on the outskirts of the village and were waiting for an autorickshaw to go home when the girl’s parents allegedly waylaid them. They attacked Kesavulu and forcibly took away Hemavathi on a two-wheeler. The woman was allegedly beaten to death with sticks in a nearby field and her body dumped in a disused well. Meanwhile, an injured Kesavulu, along with the infant, reached the village and informed people about the attack. The youth’s agitated parents and their relatives allegedly retaliated with an attack on Bhaskar Naidu’s house.
The police rushed to the village and brought the situation under control. The police termed the murder of Hemavathi “an honour killing by her parents” and took some of the accused into custody.
