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Hyderabad dishonour killing sparks huge outrage, cops to move fast-track court
B Nagaraju murder case: #JusticeforBNagaraju remains one of the top trends on Twitter amid calls for strict action against those accused.
Hyderabad remains gripped with shock and outrage two days after the city saw a dishonour killing case as a Hindu man was murdered by his Muslim wife’s family. The newlywed couple - B Nagaraju and Syed Ashrin Sulthana - were targeted for defying Sulthana’s family’s objections to their marriage, it has been alleged. Her brother is one of the two people arrested so far in the shocker, which has raised fresh concerns about the safety of interfaith couples in the face of adversity.
In heartbreaking visuals shared on social media, a devastated Sulthana was seen standing on a road, surrounded by crowds, staring at her husband’s body. B Nagaraju reportedly died on the spot after the couple was brutally attacked on Wednesday night with iron rods when they were out on their bike. They had got married just months before the incident after knowing each other for several years, according to cops.
Sulthana tried to save her husband amid the assault and she recalled that nobody came forward to help her. "Nagaraju was beaten by five members at the signal. I begged everyone to let us go. He was killed in front of everyone, can't the world see? At the signal, I requested people for help. I tried to save Nagaraju by covering him. But there were five other people pushing me away from him and other people were beating him. He was wearing a helmet but despite that, they kept assaulting him,” she was quoted as saying in a PTI report.
“He even told my mother that he will convert his religion and will marry me but my mother didn't listen. I know Nagaraju for 11 years", she added.
#JusticeforBNagaraju remains one of the top trends on Twitter amid calls for strict action against those accused. He was believed to be in mid-twenties.
Hours after murder, Assistant Commissioner of Police (L B Nagar Division) P Sreedhar Reddy on Thursday told reporters that Nagaraju’s brother-in-law - Syed Mobin Ahmed - and another family member of his wife were taken into custody.
"A case (has been) registered under IPC Section 302, SC/ST Act. The probe is to be concluded soon. We'll apply at fast track court so that the trial is concluded soon, and the accused are punished. The deceased's family will be provided with monetary benefits and a job,” he said at a press briefing.
"The Billipuram Nagaraju, who belonged to SC-Mala Community, and Ashrin Sulthana of the Muslim community were in love for more than five years. They were classmates from school and both studied in the same school and college. She is the sister of the accused Syed Mobin Ahmed,” a police statement reported by news agency ANI read.
She was believed to have left her home on January 30, leaving her mobile phone behind, and the next day, they both got married, according to cops.
The murder has also triggered a political row in the southern state of Telangana. “Nagaraju is murdered by the family of Ashrin Sulthana over interfaith marriage in Telangana. The killers offered him to convert to Islam.They killed him after refusing to convert. Will @KTRTRS respond to this incident like how he responded to the Hijab row? (sic),” BJP’s Y Satya Kumar wrote on Twitter on Thursday.
(With inputs from ANI, PTI)
