In a case of suspected honour killing, a husband and wife were hacked to death allegedly by the woman’s relatives in Kolhapur district in western Maharashtra on Wednesday evening.
The double murder, prompted by an inter-caste marriage that angered the woman’s kin, has sent shockwaves across the State which has witnessed a rash of honour killings linked to caste in less than two years.
According to police sources, Megha Patil had married Indrajit Kulkarni of a different caste, against the wishes of her family in June this year and the couple were living in a rented apartment in Kolhapur’s Kasba Bavada locality.
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On Wednesday night, the landlady woke up hearing shrieks from their apartment. When she rushed to their place, she was pushed aside by some assailants, who were fleeing the spot. According to the police, Indrajit and Megha were lying in a pool of blood with their throats cut. Deputy Superintendent of Police Pradeep Deshpande said Megha’s brothers Ganesh Patil and Jaydeep Patil, and an alleged accomplice Nitin Kashid were arrested following the killings. Further investigation is on.
In October last year, a Dalit family of three was murdered in Javkhede-Khalasa in Maharashtra’s Ahmednagar district in another case of suspected ‘honour killing.’