MUMBAI: 21-year-old Aanchal Mamidwar married her deceased lover Saksham Tate in Nanded district of Maharashtra on Monday. Saksham was murdered by Aanchal's father and brother, who both disapproved of her relationship with a lower-caste man.
Aanchal arrived at Saksham's house upon hearing of his death. In an act of defiance, she applied turmeric on her lover's corpse and vermillion on her forehead, publicly 'marrying' him at his funeral. Videos of Aanchal's marriage with Saksham's lifeless body went viral on social media.
The woman decided to stay in her deceased husband's house for the rest of her life as their daughter-in-law. She declared that the solemn ceremony would make their love "immortal." She stated that she married Saksham even though he was dead, because their love remains "very much alive."
Aanchal said, "Our love won, even in Saksham's death; and my father and brothers lost." She demanded that her father and brothers be hanged for the "cold-blooded murder."
Aanchal had met Saksham through her brothers. However, the Mamidwar household disapproved of their relationship due to caste differences. Aanchal and Saksham had been in a relationship for the last three years.
Police said, after Mamidwars learned that Aanchal was planning to marry Saksham, they had planned to kill him.
The honour killing happened in the old Ganj area of Nanded. Saksham was with his friends when a dispute broke out between him and Aanchal's brother Himesh Mamidwar. Then, Himesh fired a gun at Saksham, piercing his ribs with a bullet. Immediately after, he smashed Saksham's head on a tile, killing him.
Police soon arrested Himesh, his brother Sahil, and their father Gajanan Mamidwar. Police have filed a case of honour killing against all accused, and are probing further into the case.
Police noted that Saksham and Himesh were once close friends and are both history-sheeters. The mother of the deceased boy questioned the police's claim that her son had a criminal background. She demanded a fair and impartial probe into this incident.