Yet another honour killing in Odisha

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Polasara (Ganjam), June 22:

In yet another case of honour killing, a young woman in Pankalabadi village under Polasara police station limits in Odisha’s Ganjam district was killed by her own family members over her love affair with a youth of a neighbouring village.

According to reports, the deceased, identified as Minati Dalai (18) was in love with a youth of Sankuru village. In spite of strong resistance and objections from  her parents, she had continued her relationship with the youth.

Earlier this month, the girl’s family had lodged a formal complaint with Polasara police station against the boy’s family. On June 16, the police had called the parents of both the girl and the youth as well as elders from both villages and it was decided that the lovers will be formally united through marriage.

However, Minati’s father Surya Dalai, who had said yes to the idea in presence of the police, was is no mood to accept the proposal.

Late on Friday night, there was an altercation in the girl’s family over Minati’s inistence on getting married to the boy. Enraged at the defiant attitude of his daughter, Surya, with the help of his two minor sons, strangulated Minati with a rope and later hanged her body from  a tree in the backyard of the house to give an impression of suicide.

The police visited the spot on Saturday morning and after a spot verification came to know that the girl was murdered.

The father Surya Dalai and his two sons were arrested and later confessed to their crime during the interrogation.

This is  the second incident of honour killing in the district. Last month, a lover couple was brutally hacked to death by the family members of the girl at Haladiapadar village on the outskirts of Brahampur.