Girl’s parents, 3 family members get life sentence in honour killing case

CHANDIGARH: A local court in Sonipat district has awarded life imprisonment to a couple and three other members of their family in an honour killing case. They were held guilty on Tuesday but the quantum of sentence was announced on Thursday.
The couple had killed their minor daughter in 2016 with the help of other family members for having an affair with a boy with whom she had eloped.

Additional sessions judge Sunita Grover also awarded similar jail term to two uncles and sister of the deceased girl. Those who have been handed down imprisonment for life are the victim’s father Balraj, mother Sudesh, Raju and Suresh (both uncles) and sister Meena.

The accused had pleaded for a milder sentence before the court but the judge had turned down their pleas in view of the gravity of their crime. Court has also imposed fine on the accused.

Victim Sweety (17), a native of Matand village in Sonipat, was pursuing her junior basic training (JBT) teachers’ course from Gohana. As per the prosecution, on July 2, 2016, she was murdered by her family members and her body was set on fire after being thrown inside a cow dung store on the outskirts of the village.

According to information, the family was angry because she had eloped with a boy. She was killed a few days after she had returned home. Police say the family had killed her for bringing bad name to the honour of the family in the eyes of villagers and society.

Victim’s grandfather Dhaja Ram, however, had reported the matter to the police after which an FIR for murder charges was registered against the culprits. On his identification, the half burnt body of the girl was retrieved by the cops.

This is the second such case in Haryana where the parents have been punished for killing their daughter. Earlier on August 10, 2016, a court in Rohtak had awarded life imprisonment to Narinder alias Bilu, his wife Reeta and son Sunny for killing their daughter Nidhi Barak. Nidhi, a resident of Garnawati village in Rohtak, had an affair with Dharmender Barak of the same village. In September 2013, she was brutally murdered and burnt hurriedly by her parents in the village’s cremation ground. Dharmender was also killed and his body was cut into pieces and thrown outside his house.