A recent tragic incident in Bengaluru highlights the deeply ingrained social prejudices leading to violence. In this case, a 50-year-old man was arrested for allegedly murdering his 17-year-old daughter, who had eloped with her Dalit boyfriend. The accused surrendered to the police after the incident took place at a relative’s house in Bengaluru.
According to a police officer, the victim was in a relationship with a Dalit youth, which her father strongly opposed due to their different communities (Vokkaliga Gowda and Dalit). He had previously forced her to quit college and sent her to a relative’s place in Bengaluru in an attempt to keep her away from her boyfriend. However, she went missing on October 14, leading her parents to file a police complaint. After the police found her with her boyfriend, he was arrested under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act.
Tragically, the father, feeling that his reputation within the community was at stake, attacked his daughter with a machete, resulting in her death, and injuring her mother as she tried to intervene. The accused has been charged with murder and has been sent to judicial custody.
This distressing incident underscores the urgent need for societal change and legal measures to address honor-based violence and the deeply rooted prejudices within communities. It calls for a concerted effort to promote tolerance and respect for individual choices, irrespective of caste or community, to prevent such heinous acts from occurring in the future.
Image Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/dad-kills-minor-girl-for-eloping-with-dalit-boy-in-bengaluru/articleshow/104636097.cms
