Farmer kills daughter for refusing to marry chosen groom

Satara (Maharashtra) : A farmer in Maharashtra’s Satara killed his 25-year old daughter after she refused to marry within her caste and insisted on an alliance with a man from a lower caste, police said Monday.

In a fit of rage, Shankar B. Shinde, 65, battered Asha’s head with an iron rod while she slept in their home in Aundh town early Sunday, said Police Inspector Rashid B. Syed.

Though Asha’s mother, elder brother and his wife were also present in the home, nobody went to her rescue as Shinde hit her head repeatedly, leaving her in a pool of blood.

Several hours later, the guilt-ridden Shinde walked to the Aundh police station and surrendered before police inspector Chandrakant Shirke, sending shockwaves in the district, from where Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan hails.

“We made the necessary inquiries and afterwards placed him under arrest, charging him with, among other things, murder. Today, he was remanded to police custody till Feb 22,” Shirke told IANS.

He said that Asha was a science graduate and had a post-graduation degree in social work. She was working with a private organization in Pune.

“According to Shinde, she had been summoned to Aundh to finalise a marriage proposal with a boy hailing from the Maratha caste. However, she refused, saying that she was in love and wanted to marry a boy from a lower caste,” Shirke said.

Police are now attempting to trace out Asha’s boyfriend in Pune to ascertain whether he had pressurised the girl in any manner.