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.

Published on: Feb 20, 2026, 11:56:54 IST

Written by Yamini C S

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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