A woman who defied her family to marry the person of her choice was killed by her brothers in south Rajasthan’s Chota Aspur village. The woman, Ramakunwar alias Rama, was set on fire by her brother Lakshman Singh and other cousins eight years after she returned home with her 3-year-old child.
The police Saturday arrested her brother and six cousins for the alleged honour killing on a complaint filed by the deceased’s mother-in-law Kalawati. She had filed an FIR against 30 to 35 persons for the murder in which she alleged that Rama was set on fire by Lakshman Singh, Parveen Singh, Kalyan Singh, Ishwar Singh, Mahendra Singh, Bhupal Singh and Gajendra Singh. Her crime in their eyes was not just that she eloped with and married for love but that the boy belonged to a different caste.
When news reached her brothers of her return to the village, Lakshman came with around 30 people the very next day when Ms Kalawti, her youn-ger son and daughter-in-law, and Rama were sitting in the compound. They dragged Rama to a spot near the temple and set her on fire. They took the half burnt body to the cremation ground and conducted the funeral that very night. Extra police force has been deployed in the village.
Though the incident took place in a public place in the middle of the village, no villager came to her rescue. They were all silent witnesses to the crime and were not willing to speak against the accused even now.
Extra police force has been deployed in the village. This is not an isolated case of honour killing in Rajasthan. Only two months ago, a man in Sriganganagar district had killed his daughter for marrying outside the caste.
