Three days after marrying her boyfriend in a temple, a 21-year-old Delhi University student was murdered and secretly cremated by her parents for marrying outside her caste, Indian media reported on Wednesday.
According to police, Jagmohan and Savitri Yadav, strangled their daughter Bhawna on November 15 and have since confessed to the murder and were arrested on Tuesday.
Bhawna, a third-year college student, married her 24-year-old boyfriend of two years Abhishek Seth on November 12.
However, Bhawna’s parents already disapproved of her relationship and had fixed her engagement to a man from their caste for Nov. 22.
“They decided to marry, hoping her parents would come around,” said a friend of the couple.
“We went to Abhishek’s house after the wedding and his father told us Bhawna’s parents must be informed. They came and promised to honour the marriage. They took Bhawna away, saying they’d keep her home for a few days and promising to host a grand wedding,” said another friend.
But when they got back to the family home, Bhawna was allegedly beaten for dishonouring her family and ordered to divorce Abhishek. Unable to change Bhawna’s mind, her parents strangled her, police said.
After the crime, the Yadavs left by cab for Rajasthan, taking the body with them. They told neighbours Bhawna had been bitten by a snake and that they were taking her to an ayurvedic practioner in their native village.
“When they reached the village, they told their relatives she’d died on the way. They cremated her and returned to the city,” said a police officer.
Abhishek filed a police complaint on Nov. 16 after failing to get through to her.
“Finally, one of her cousins told me she had been cremated,” he said.
The Yadavs told the police Bhawna had died of a snake bite.
“But we interrogated them separately and when they gave contradictory versions, we knew they were hiding something. After hours of questioning, they confessed to the murder,” a police officer said.
