Woman Allegedly Murdered by Family for Planning to Marry Dalit Man

The family allegedly attempted to pass it off as suicide by hanging her body from a ceiling hook.

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On 28 February, 19-year-old Bharti was allegedly murdered by her parents and brother, in a brutal case of honour killing in the town of Gandhidam, Kutch, The Times of India reported.

The woman's family – which was against her relationship with a Dalit man – allegedly strangled her to death and attempted to pass it off as suicide by hanging her body from a ceiling hook, according to the report.

The police arrested Bharti's father Ramesh Rajgor (42), mother Rashmi (40) and her brother Manish (21) late on Sunday, 1 March, reports The Times of India.

“Bharti’s mother Rashmi sat on her chest and smothered her face with a pillow, while Manish grabbed her hands. After she died, her father and brother hanged the body from the ceiling of her room to show that she had committed suicide,” PA Chawda, sub-inspector with a local police station told TOI.

Chawda said that there was no one else at their home when she was murdered. Her brother had even clicked photographs of her hanging from the ceiling.

“When we interrogated family members, they broke down and confessed to their crime. They said they were against Bharti’s relationship with a Dalit youth whom she wanted to marry,” the officer added.

Bharti and her lover were reportedly colleagues and were allegedly planning to get married. Her family allegedly forced her to quit the job when they found out.

(With inputs from The Times of India)