A man allegedly stabbed his 23-year-old niece on Thursday inside a police station in Ghaziabad in what is suspected to be an attempted honour killing after she “shamed” the family by eloping with a man from another community.
Kailash Kumar, 38, was arrested after the attempted murder at the Loni police station.
The woman had allegedly eloped with the man on February 13. The couple was traced and brought to the police station after her family lodged a complaint.
Kumar had come to the police station to meet his niece and had a knife hidden in his clothes, said Salmantaj Patil, officiating senior superintendent of police, Ghaziabad.
“The couple hail from different communities. Her uncle was infuriated as she had married the man and wanted to stay with him,” he added.
The woman’s parents declined to make any comments.
Police will produce her before a magistrate to record her statement.
Police said the woman has been admitted to a hospital where her condition is said to be stable.
“Her uncle was arrested soon after the incident and the weapon also recovered. A case will be lodged in the stabbing incident,” Patil said.
{{/usCountry}}“Her uncle was arrested soon after the incident and the weapon also recovered. A case will be lodged in the stabbing incident,” Patil said.
{{/usCountry}}Srikant Prajapati, circle officer of Loni, said the man with whom the woman had eloped was arrested after the “complaint registered by her family”.
“His release will be subjected to the statement given by the woman. The man is also of the same age as the woman. After we rescued the woman, she did not open up even with women police officers. So, we decided to record her statement and later she will be allowed to go wherever she wishes,” Prajapati added.
Most of the honour killings are committed by family members for romantic liaisons or for marrying against set societal norms. Activists say that the crime is under-reported and many such killings are covered up. Convictions for such crimes are also very rare.
Crime against women in Uttar Pradesh is also among the highest in the country.