In a case of ‘honour’ killing on the eve of Eid-Al-Adha, one Farhana was shot and hacked to pieces by her brothers Salman, Faman, Noman and Meherban for marrying a “lower caste Muslim”.
According to reports from Muzaffarnagar, the brothers of the deceased woman identified as Farhana were angry ever since she had married her boyfriend Shahid, who was reportedly from a lower caste.
Prima facie the case appears to be that of a suspected honour killing. The incident happened in the district’s Alipur Aterna village in the Budhana Kotwali area, wherein the accused shot their sister Farhana in broad daylight and hacked her with a sharp weapon before fleeing the scene. The accused have been identified as Salman, Faman, Noman and Meherban. The police have registered a case based on a complaint filed by Farhana’s brother-in-law.
Circle Officer Vinay Gautam reached the village with his team as soon as they got the information of the crime. The body of the deceased was sent for post-mortem. The police formed two teams to search for the accused.
According to the police, the deceased woman Farhana was the daughter of a villager named Jamshed Pathan. She had eight brothers. Two years ago Farhana married a youth named Shahid. Shahid belonged to the Faqir caste. Farhana’s brothers were against their relationship. On August 6, 2021, Farhana ran away from her house and married Shahid in court. The duo started living separately in Muzaffarnagar. On June 7, 2023, Farhana and Sahid returned to their village hoping that Farhana’s family would have forgiven them by now, given that a lot of time had passed since she went against the family’s wishes and married the love of her life. She took up a job at a beauty parlour in the vicinity.
Farhana’s brothers, however, remained enraged and vindictive. They once threatened to kill the duo if they did not leave the village. On Wednesday evening, when Farhana was returning home from the beauty parlour, her four brothers – Salman, Faman, Noman and Meherban – surrounded her in the middle of the road and killed her.
Meanwhile, a 26-year-old man allegedly shot dead his newly-married wife and later killed himself too after a row with her in Makhyali village on Friday, police said.
Another man who intervened in the fight to placate the two was also shot at and he sustained wounds, police said. He has been admitted to a hospital for treatment.
Superintendent of Police (Rural) Atul Srivastava said two pistols were recovered from the spot.
According to police, Naseem Malik had married 25-year-old Nargis five months ago with the help of a mediator, Saddam. On Friday, Naseem and Nargis had a fight and they both went to Saddam to seek his intervention but he fled. After the couple began their fight again at Saddam’s house, Sabir, a neighbour, came there to pacify the two and he was shot at by Naseem, police said.
After shooting Sabir, Naseem rode off on his bike with Nargis but stopped at a distance and shot her dead. He then killed himself too, police said.
According to the SP, Naseem worked as a driver in a Gulf country and was not satisfied with his marriage. Police sent the bodies of the couple for autopsy and are probing the deaths.