Father Kills Daughter Dating a Boy of Different Caste... Another 'Honor Killing' in India

"Plot to Murder for Fear of Tarnishing My Reputation"

A father in India was arrested by the police for killing his teenage daughter because she became romantically involved with an upper-class boy. On the 14th, local media including the Times of India reported that Prahalad Kumar was arrested in the northern Indian city of Lucknow on charges of killing his 17-year-old daughter Sandia. The media described this as an honor killing.

Kumar was reportedly opposed to the relationship because Sandia's boyfriend belonged to a different caste. However, when his daughter ignored his warnings and continued the relationship, Kumar killed her.

Prachi Singh, the police chief of Siddharthnagar, announced on the 10th that Sandia's body had been found. Chief Singh said, "A lump of rice was found near the victim's body," and added, "The victim's mother claimed that a sedative provided by the boy was mixed into the lump of rice, and we initially charged him with murder."

However, when another senior officer involved in the investigation asked Sandia's mother about the whereabouts of her husband Kumar, she claimed, "Kumar is in Mumbai." But Kumar was believed to have been in Lucknow at the time. The police stated, "We quickly formed a team and arrested Kumar."

During the police investigation, Kumar mentioned his daughter's relationship and said, "I planned the murder fearing it would tarnish my reputation." He further stated, "On the day of the incident, I told my wife I was going to Mumbai for work, and the train was scheduled to arrive at 6:40 AM. I bought a train ticket early in the morning at the station. However, I did not board the train and wandered around inside the station."

He said, "At 9 AM, I bought rice and chickpeas from a merchant. After eating the chickpeas, I put the rice in my bag and kept wandering around. Around 11 AM, I saw my daughter and the boy at the train station, and that afternoon, I met my daughter again as she was returning home from school."

He continued, "I asked my daughter not to meet that boy again. However, she refused, saying 'It's my life and I will live it my way.' I got angry at those words and killed my daughter," adding, "Then I staged the scene to make it look like my daughter was poisoned by her boyfriend."

Meanwhile, according to India's caste system, most Indians are divided into Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, Shudras, and the untouchables in that order. Although India banned caste-based discrimination through its constitution in 1950, inequality still persists, and people from lower castes continue to face social oppression and discrimination.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.