Rajasthan: Lovers beaten to death, kin allege honour killing

JAIPUR: A young unmarried couple — Bantu Singh (21) and Anita Singh (20) — of Layka Pur ka Thar village were killed allegedly for being in love, by the latter’s family under Rajkhera police station area in Dholpur.
The incident happened when the girl’s family members attacked the family of Bantu Singh, accusing him of eloping with the girl.
Both the deceased are from the same clan (gotra) and marriages within the same clan being prohibited is believed to be the reason behind the double murder.
“Bantu’s family has alleged that it is a case of honour killing. Both deceased were from the Nishad community. This appears to be the reason behind the killing. The matter is being investigated from different angles,” said Mridul Kachawaha, SP, Dholpur.
The FIR reads that a dozen armed persons from the girl’s family, mostly her uncles and cousins, attacked the house of Bantu Singh at 3pm on Saturday. “They entered the house after breaking the main gate, armed with iron and bamboo sticks and sharp objects. They found both the boy and the girl inside the house. The armed persons took both of them outside the house and started attacking them mercilessly,” said a police officer investigating the case.
The armed persons allegedly did not stop beating the duo till they showed signs of life. “Both were rushed to the hospital in the village, but the boy was declared dead. The girl was rushed to a hospital in Dholpur and succumbed on the way,” said the cop. Till the last report came, none of the accused was arrested.