Man attacks pregnant sister with axe in Karnataka over her inter-caste marriage

A pregnant woman was attacked by her brother with an axe at a wedding in Koppal, Karnataka, due to family opposition to her inter-caste marriage.

A pregnant woman was seriously injured after she was allegedly attacked by her brother with an axe during a wedding ceremony in Koppal district of Karnataka, police said on Thursday.

Karnataka police have taken the accused into custody. (PTI/ Representational)

The incident took place on Wednesday at a mass wedding event in Handrala village, where the woman, Meenakshi, had gone along with her husband, Uday Kumar, to attend the wedding of his brother, PTI news agency reported, citing police.

Police said Meenakshi had married Kumar over a year ago despite opposition from her family, who were against the inter-caste union. Following the marriage, the couple moved to Bengaluru, after which her family reportedly cut off all contact with her.

Police said trouble erupted when Meenakshi’s brother, Manjunath (35), learnt that she was present at the wedding venue. He allegedly rushed to the spot carrying an axe and attacked her in front of other guests. Meenakshi, who is four months pregnant, sustained injuries before people at the venue intervened and managed to stop the assault.

Confirming the incident, Koppal Superintendent of Police Ram L Arasiddi told PTI that the injured woman was admitted to a government hospital in the district and her condition was stable. Police have registered a case of attempt to murder in connection with the incident and arrested the accused, officials said.

(With inputs from PTI)