Couple shot dead for ‘honour’ in Bihar’s Kaimur district

The couple’s son had eloped with a girl of another caste and married her about three months back.

BHABUA: A couple was shot dead for ‘honour’ in Kaimur district of southwest Bihar on Friday night as their son had eloped with a girl of another caste and married her.

Relatives of the slain couple at Bahbua sadar hospital .(HT photo/ Mukul Jaiswal)

The couple’s two daughters were also injured in the attack that took place at Mubarakpur village in Mohania police station area of the district, 216 km southwest of state capital Patna.

All the four family members were sleeping on the rooftop of their house when the assailants reached there and opened fire, killing Kamla Chaudhary, 50, and his wife Shanti Devi, 45, on the spot, police said.

Chaudhary’s daughters Kiran Devi, 20, and Susmita Kumari, 15, were seriously injured in the attack and had been referred to Institute of Medical Sciences-Banaras Hindu University (IMS-BHU), Varanasi, for treatment, the police said.

Police said the incident appeared to be a clear case of honour killing. They quoted injured Kiran Devi as saying that her brother Dharmendra Chaudhary had eloped with a girl of another caste about three months back.

Dharmendra and the girl were living in Delhi after their marriage, the police said.

Villagers said the family of the girl, Rajput by caste, was not happy with the marriage as Dharmendra was a Mallah (fisherman), an OBC. Her relatives had been going around the village saying they would take revenge from the family of Dharmendra, the villagers said. A brother of the girl had criminal background, they added.

Kaimur superintendent of police (SP) Harpreet Kaur said an FIR had been registered against three named and four unidentified assailants.

“Three police teams were conducting raids on suspected hideouts of the assailants, especially in areas bordering Uttar Pradesh. We have also sought the help of UP police,” the SP added.

The bodies of the victims had been sent to sadar (district) hospital, Bhabua, for post-mortem examination, she added.