A 20-year-old pregnant woman was murdered allegedly by her father and relatives in Karnataka’s Dharwad district on Sunday over her inter-caste marriage to a Dalit man, nearly seven months after her wedding, The Indian Express reported.
The woman, Manya Dhoddamani, was six months pregnant and had married Vivekananda Dhoddamani in May. She was allegedly attacked in Inam Veerapur village under the Hubballi Rural taluk.
The Hubballi Rural Police said that three persons were arrested in connection with the killing – Manya Dhoddamani’s father, Prakashgouda Patil, and her relatives, Veeranagouda Patil and Arunagouda Patil, The Indian Express reported.
Manya Dhoddamani belonged to the Lingayat community, The New Indian Express reported.
The couple had married against the wishes of Manya Dhoddamani’s family and had been living in Haveri district.
An unidentified police officer said that Manya Dhoddamani and Vivekananda Dhoddamani had been in a relationship for several years and married at a sub-registrar’s office in May after their families opposed the union, The Indian Express reported.
After the marriage, Manya Dhoddamani’s parents threatened to torch Vivekananda Dhoddamani’s house, but the police warned them, the newspaper reported.
“After they got married, they appeared before the police,” The Indian Express quoted the police officer as saying. “The local police officer convened a meeting between the families, and warned Manya’s parents not to trouble them after they said that they would not allow her to enter their house.”
On December 8, the couple returned to Inam Veerapur village to collect documents such as Aadhaar cards and other credentials required for hospital admission during her delivery, the newspaper reported.
On Sunday evening, while Manya Dhoddamani was working on a farm, her father and other family members allegedly assaulted her with iron pipes, Gunjan Arya, the Dharwad superintendent of police, told The Indian Express.
Vivekananda Dhoddamani’s mother, Renavva, and a relative, Subhash, were also attacked when they attempted to intervene, she added.
All of them were taken to a private hospital in Hubballi, where Manya Dhoddamani succumbed to her injuries later that night. Police said that another group of assailants also attempted to attack Vivekananda Dhoddamani, who managed to escape and reach a police station.
He, along with his relatives, is under treatment at a hospital.
A case of murder has been registered at the Hubballi Rural police station, and further investigation is underway.
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