A 21-year-old woman, who had married outside her caste, was allegedly killed in Dwarka by her parents and then secretly cremated in her village in Alwar. The incident was reported on Sunday morning.
Police have arrested the woman’s father, Jagmohan Yadav and mother, Savitri, based on the complaint filed by the widower. Police said the parents confessed to having killed and cremated their daughter.
The police, however, are working to ascertain that the same woman was indeed cremated, a doubt shared by her mother-in-law.
Bhawna married Abhishek Seth, who works as an assistant programmer at the Cabinet Secretariat in Rashtrapati Bhavan, on November 12. The couple studied together in Delhi’s Venkateshwara College and wished to marry but the woman’s family objected as Abhishek belongs to a different caste.
The two married anyway, in an Arya Samaj temple in Mandir Marg. They also got their marriage registered in court.
Bharati Seth, Abhsihek’s mother, told Newsline, “When Abhishek came home with Bhawna and told me that they are now legally married, I told him that we should call Bhawna’s parents and inform them. It was then that both families met.”
She said Bhawna’s parents were very angry. “I tried to reason with them that the couple had got their marriage registered in court. Since both were adults, they had a right to do so.”
Bhawna’s parents reportedly told Abhishek and his mother that they would take her home as no proper ceremonies were performed to bless the marriage. They told Abhishek that he should come to their Dwarka house on November 16 to take Bhawna back, Bharati said.
In his complaint, Abhishek says: “We agreed to their demand and Bhawna went (to her parents’) home. On the night of November 15, Bhawna’s uncle called me and threatened to kill me. He told me that he would shoot Bhawna too.
After that I tried to call Bhawna but her phone was switched off. The next morning we got a call from one of Bhawna’s cousin in Gurgaon that Bhawna’s parents took her to Alwar and burnt her to death.”
Abhishek then registered an FIR at Dwarka North police station. During investigation, Bhawna’s parents told the police that a snake bit her on November 15 and they drove her to Alwar overnight for treatment. Bhawna’s father, a real estate dealer, claimed that she died on the way.”
“If a snake had bit Bhawna, they should have taken her to a hospital here in Delhi. Why go to a village?” Bharati said.
Police said when Bhawna went home she was told that she was “engaged” to another man. The police have arrested her parents, who have confessed to the murder, an officer said.
Abhishek’s family has also expressed suspicion that Bhawna’s parents and uncle may be lying about her death and that she may be being held captive somewhere.
Southwest DCP, Suman Goel, said, “The forensic teams has gone to the spot to get evidence. Bhawna’s parents have continued…
