Dalit man stabbed to death by brother-in-law in Rajkot, police point to honour killing

The police suspect that Vimal, who belonged to a Scheduled Caste, was murdered by Dhandhal and his friends for marrying Dhandhal’s sister. The inter-caste couple have a child together.

Inspector J D Parmar of Bhaktinagar police station told The Indian Express that Vimal and the woman had eloped over seven years ago and at that time, her family soon traced them and took her back home. Later on, she again left home and joined Vimal, eventually settling together in several different towns before returning to stay with his mother and stepfather in Rajkot.

The FIR in this case was filed on the basis of a complaint by Bharti Dharmendra Vaniya, Vimal’s mother. It stated that after Vimal and the woman eloped for the first time over seven years ago and (accused) Kamlesh Lakha Dhandal had then traced them, taken her back home and arranged to have her married elsewhere. A year later, the woman again left her parents’ home and joined Vimal. Bharti also told the police that a child was born to the couple around 11 months ago.

Around 2:45 pm on September 24, Bharti said she was at home when Vimal’s friend reached there and told her that three men, including Dhandhal, assaulted her son at Bhaktinagar circle. When Bharti and her daughter-in-law reached Rajkot Civil Hospital, they found Vimal lying injured on a stretcher and the doctor on duty soon declared him dead.

Dhandhal and the other two unidentified persons were booked for murder as well as sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and the Gujarat Police Act. Inspector Parmar said police teams had been deployed to apprehend the three accused persons.