A 22-year-old man was stabbed to death in Hyderabad’s Begum Bazar fish market on Friday evening for allegedly marrying a girl from another caste, The News Minute reported.
The deceased was identified as Neeraj Panwar. He belonged to the Marwari community.
His wife, Sanjana, who belongs to the Yadav community, alleged that her cousin had plotted the attack. The couple got married in April last year and have a three-month-old son.
On Friday, Panwar was taken to the hospital after the attack, where he succumbed to the injuries, India Today reported.
“My demand is that they [the assailants] be hanged to death,” Sanjana said. “I just want this for those people.”
Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Joel Davis said that Sanjana’s family had opposed her marriage. “Neeraj and Sanjana had an intercaste marriage which might be the reason behind the attack,” Davis said. “We suspect her family members’ involvement, which is yet to be ascertained.”
Four accused have been arrested in connection with the murder, said Y Ajay Kumar, station house officer of Shahinayatgunj police station, reported The News Minute. The arrests were made based on the CCTV footage near a shop in the market area, Kumar added.
A case has been registered under Indian Penal Code Section 302 (punishment for murder) against the accused, The New Indian Express reported.
Meanwhile, shops in Begum Bazar remained closed on Saturday after the murder. Panwar’s family and friends and traders at the market staged a protest, demanding justice.
The attack took place days after a similar incident of honour killing in Hyderabad.
Billipuram Nagaraju, 26, was stabbed with a knife and hit with an iron rod on a busy road in Hyderabad’s Saroornagar area on the evening of May 4.
Several bystanders recorded the assault on their mobile phones, but they did not try to stop the attackers.
Nagaraju and Sultana got married as per Hindu rituals on January 30, but Sultana’s family was opposed to the marriage. The couple was in a relationship for more than five years.
The Hyderabad Police have arrested two persons in connection with the incident.
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