Daijiworld Media Network – Mysore (SP)

Mysore, Mar 14: In a shocking incident of honour killing, a woman, who worked as assistant professor in a degree college, was murdered by her brother, who felt that she had committed a sin by marrying a person belonging to a lower caste.

Mahadeva, a Lingayat, who was angry about the fact that his sister, Smriti (28) had loved and married a person from Dalit community, strangulated her in a fit of rage at Alanahalli in the outskirts of the city. Mahadeva absconded after committing the crime.

Smriti, working as an assistant professor of Kannada in government first grade college in Kuderu, Chamarajanagara district, had entered into wedlock with Sudeep Kumar (28), assistant director of physical education in Tumkur University, through registered marriage. She had come to know Sudeep when doing her post graduation seven years ago at Manasa Gangotri. Mahadeva was also a friend of Sudeep, but it is said he was not aware that his sister was in love with him.

The couple had requested the family to conduct their marriage as per religious customs. Smriti’s family was against accepting a youth belonging to a lower caste as its son-in-law. Reportedly, Mahadeva’s family too was against this alliance. Smriti used to stay in a rented house here with grandmother, Nanjamma, and friend, Savita Hegde, as her village is too far. When Savita, who had gone to Kochi to visit her husband, returned home early morning on Tuesday, she saw that her friend had been smothered to death by her own brother and Nanjamma was in utter grief. The hospital to which Smriti was taken confirmed that she had been brought dead. Reportedly, Mahadeva visited his sister at night in an inebriated condition, raised volume of television set, assaulted her, and strangulated her, before escaping.