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‘If I die, family responsible’: Gwalior woman's words hours before being shot dead by father in front of cops

Jan 16, 2025 03:51 PM IST

The victim's father and her cousin had allegedly killed her for refusing to marry the family's choice of groom and being willing to go ahead with love marriage.

Opposing her father's choice of groom and being willing to go forward with a love marriage allegedly got 20-year-old Tanu Gurjar killed in Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior city earlier this week.

The victim Tanu Gurjar's (L) parents had fixed her marriage for January 18 with a suitor of their choice. (Live Hindustan)
The victim Tanu Gurjar's (L) parents had fixed her marriage for January 18 with a suitor of their choice. (Live Hindustan)

Shockingly, the murder took place in front of police officials who were present outside the house, in the Gola ka Mandir area, at the time of the incident, a senior official told news agency PTI.

Police arrested the 45-year-old Mahesh Singh Gurjar and his nephew Rahul by Wednesday morning for having allegedly murdered Tanu after she refused to marry the man her family chose for her.

Police said the accused allegedly shot Tanu four times. As the cops present outside heard gunshots, they rushed inside the home and found the 20-year-old's body on the ground. "It was all so random. We were all caught by surprise. He was a decent man. On that night, he became savage," an officer was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.

Tanu reportedly received bullet injuries to her chest, forehead, neck and face.

'If I die...': Tanu's words hours before murder

Additional superintendent of police Krishna Lal Chandani reportedly said that Tanu's willingness to go ahead with a love marriage hurt Mahesh and Rahul's ego, eventually resulting in the 20-year-old's death.

Police said the family were not against the caste or "gotra" of Tanu's boyfriend and had even agreed to their relationship.

The boyfriend, whom Tanu got to know during his visits to an aunt's house in the same area as her's, was unemployed.

Eventually, the victim's family decided to arrange her marriage to an Indian Air Force officer, expecting Tanu to end her relationship.

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But, Tanu was fixated on her relationship and continued opposing her family's choice. The tussle between her and her parents went on as her marriage got fixed for January 18.

Arguments intensified and the situation grew tense on Tuesday and that is when, hours before her murder, Tanu purportedly uploaded a video on social media.

"I really love a man. We have been in a relationship for six years. My family said 'yes' to the marriage and then refused. They beat me daily and threaten to kill me. If something happens or I die, my family is responsible. They pressure me to marry someone else, but I cannot," The Indian Express quoted Tanu as saying in the purported video.

HT.com couldn't independently verify the veracity of the video.

This video allegedly triggered the rage in Mahesh, which ultimately led to Tanu's killing.

Why were the cops outside Tanu's home?

Even after knowing about Tanu's relationship with a man, her family had chosen another suitor for her and fixed her marriage for January 18.

As she opposed their choice and refused to marry the man, heated arguments took place between Tanu and her parents on Tuesday night. The PTI report said that local police came to know of the situation and since Mahesh was known to them, the local station house officer (SHO) called him in to talk.

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"All the police officers knew him as a decent man. They explained that she was an adult. Mahesh told them he wanted to speak to his daughter and explain that the wedding could not be cancelled. The police officers agreed and followed him home," a senior official was quoted by The Indian Express.

Police sent two constables, including a woman officer, to Mahesh's house.

Since the house was embroiled in a wedding atmosphere, the police officers decided to stay outside and keep a watch on the situation, City Superintendent of Police Nagendra Singh Sikarwar said.

Mahesh went in as the situation inside remained grim. Relatives were trying to pacify Tanu and her parents, but Mahesh's anger intensified. In a fit of rage, he and his nephew Rahul then allegedly shot Tanu country-made weapon and a .12 bore pistol, which the police later confiscated.

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"It was the cousin (Rahul) who kept telling the father that their reputation was at stake. He claimed if she were allowed a love marriage, all other women in the family would want to marry whoever they wanted," a police officer was quoted as saying.

After the incident, Rahul fled the scene while Mahesh stayed there with the weapon. Police took the father into custody and Tanu was rushed to a hospital but unfortunately, doctors declared her dead there.

By Wednesday morning, Rahul was also arrested by the police. Officials revealed that during interrogation, the family kept saying that if she had broken the marriage, then it would have brought them "shame".

(with PTI inputs)

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