A 20-year-old pregnant woman was allegedly murdered by her father and relatives over her inter-caste marriage in the Dharwad district of Karnataka Sunday, almost seven months after the wedding.
The woman has been identified as Manya Dhoddamani, who was six months pregnant and married to Vivekananda Dhoddamani. She was allegedly killed in Inam Veerapur village under the Hubballi taluk of Dharwad.
The Hubballi Rural police said they have arrested three people, including Prakashgouda Patil, the father of Manya, Veeranagouda Patil, and Arunagouda Patil, for killing her.
According to the police, Manya was a Lingayat, and Vivekananda is from the Scheduled Caste community. The couple, who married in May this year, were aware of the threat, and moved to Haveri after their marriage.
“Manya and Vivekananda fell in love a couple of years ago. They used to chat on Instagram as it was hard for them to meet in the village. Both families learned of their relationship, and eventually, in May, they fled and married at a sub-register office. Vivekananda and Manya were also undergraduate students,” said a police officer.
After they got married, Manya’s parents threatened to torch Vivekananda’s house, but the police warned them.
“After they got married, they appeared before the police. The local police officer convened a meeting between the families, and warned Manya’s parents not to trouble them after they said that they would not allow her to enter their house,” the police officer added.
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On December 8, Manya and Vivekananda returned to Inam Veerapur. Sources said Manya and Vivekananda came to the village to get some documents, including their Aadhaar cards and other credentials, to help them during hospital admission during delivery and later.
She was working on a farm when Manya’s father and other family members allegedly attacked her. The men assaulted Manya, Vivekananda’s mother, Renavva, and relative Subhash brutally.
Speaking to the media, Gunjan Arya, Superintendent of Police, Dharwad, said, “We received information about the attack at around 6 pm. The accused assaulted Manya with pipes, and when Renavva and Subhash tried to rescue her, they were attacked too.”
They were rushed to a private hospital in Hubballi, where Manya did not respond to the treatment, and succumbed to her injuries.
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When Manya was attacked, another group tried to assault Vivekananda, who was outside with his brother. But he managed to escape, and reach the police station to save himself, a family member said.
The Hubballi rural police said they have registered a case of murder, and are further probing the crime.