The family and friends of photographer Ankit Saxena, who was killed allegedly by his girlfriend’s family for being in an inter-faith relationship with her, hosted an Iftar party on Sunday. This was the first event organised by the Ankit Saxena Trust, set up by the photographer’s family to support couples in inter-faith relationships.
Twenty-three-year-old Saxena was murdered in west Delhi’s Raghubir Nagar on February 1 in a purported case of honour killing, a term coined by courts and academics to point to the religion or caste pride and honour that motivates such actions. The woman’s family was reportedly against the relationship as Saxena and the woman belonged to different religions.
“We received an overwhelming and unexpected response from people belonging to all walks of life,” Ankit’s father Yashpal Saxena told The Hindu on Sunday. “When the idea to organise an iftar party was presented before the locality, I was amazed to see people from other communities come forward to help with the arrangements.”
On February 4, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had said the Aam Aadmi Party government will leave no stone unturned to ensure that the culprits are punished. Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Vijay Singh had said that all the accused in the case have been arrested. The woman’s parents and her uncle are in judicial custody while her brother, who is a minor, was sent to a juvenile home.
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