LUCKNOW: A 23-year-old Dalit man was allegedly beaten to death with bricks in a suspected honour killing in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar district, with police arresting two people, including his wife’s elder brother, on Wednesday.
The victim, Akshay, was allegedly targeted by his wife’s family over his marriage to Ridhima, 20, after the couple eloped, married and moved to Noida about a year ago.
Akshay returned to Muzaffarnagar on Monday and was attacked that evening in the area under Khatauli police station. He succumbed to his injuries at a hospital on Tuesday.
Dinesh Baghel, Station House Officer (SHO) of Khatauli police station, said the killing was suspected to have been premeditated, with several people allegedly involved in the conspiracy.
Among those detained in connection with the killing was Akash, who was with Akshay at the time of the attack and allegedly shared information about his movements with the assailants, police said.
According to sources, Akshay, a resident of Biharipur village, first met Ridhima while visiting his uncle, who lived in Sarai village, about six kilometres from his home.
The two grew close and eventually entered into a relationship despite stern warnings and opposition from Ridhima’s family. Amid resentment from the girl’s family, Akshay’s family repeatedly urged him to end the relationship, but he refused.
Sources claimed that about a year and a half ago, the couple eloped, prompting Ridhima’s family to file an abduction complaint against Akshay, police said. The two later married in court and moved to Noida, where Akshay found work, SHO Baghel said.
Police claimed that Ridhima’s family could not accept the relationship and continued to harbour resentment against Akshay, even after the couple married and moved away. Ridhima’s relatives kept waiting for Akshay to return to Muzaffarnagar.
According to police, Akshay’s family told them that he had returned to Muzaffarnagar on Monday morning. Later that evening, he left home on his motorcycle with Akash, telling his family that he was going to buy medicines.
The two stopped at a shop on Jansath Road in the Khatauli area and were talking when three masked men arrived on a motorcycle and confronted Akshay. One of the assailants struck him with a brick, knocking him to the ground. The attackers then repeatedly hit him on the head with bricks, leaving him bleeding heavily. He was rushed to a hospital in Meerut, where he died during treatment.
Meanwhile, the last rites of Akshay, who was the only brother among six sisters, were performed on Wednesday.
Enraged residents of his native village, Biharipur, met SP City Amrit Jain and demanded the immediate arrest of the perpetrators.
Muzaffarnagar SP Suraj Kumar Rai said police teams were pursuing the killers and that they would be arrested soon.