CASTE CURSE, RISING HONOUR KILLINGS

By P. Vijian

NEW DELHI, May 10 (Bernama) -- A spate of senseless murders in the name of
family honour continues to grip India, as police uncovered two more killings
over the weekend.

In Muzaffarnagar district, Uttar Pradesh, Anju Tomar has confessed to
killing his sister's boyfriend after the family objected to their relationship.

The Sunday Times front-paged, "Inter Caste Marriage Ends in Honour Killing",
where a 23-year old Ajit Saini was found dead with his throat slit and legs
severed by the alleged killer.

"He has admitted to killing Ajit to salvage his family honour. He told the
police he could not take it any more and the two had crossed all limits," senior
police officer Praveen Kumar told the newspaper.

The girl, Anshu, 19, believed to have married Ajit, a week ago, is still
missing and the police suspect she too could have suffered a similar fate.

In another terrifying incident, in the same state's capital, Lucknow, an
enraged family hacked to death a girl for marrying a boy of the same caste.
Same caste marriages are not allowed in some villages.

According to the victim's mother, who exposed the murder, the assailants,
including the father, brother and cousins, dragged Soni to a nearby temple where
she was killed, reported the Sunday Times.

Meanwhile, the police are still trying to solve the mysterious death of
23-year-old Nirupama Pathak, a Delhi-based journalist, found dead in her family
house in Jharkhand on April 29.

Based on early findings, the police suspect the family was responsible for
the death of the journalist who wanted to marry a boy from a different caste,
but the family claimed it was suicide.

Police detained the victim's mother in connection with the death of Pathak,
who was pregnant, but was later released.

However, on Saturday, the matter took a different turn when the family filed
a case, claiming the boyfriend was responsible for Pathak's death.

The police are now questioning the boyfriend, Priyabhansu Ranjan.

-- BERNAMA