Telangana’s capital city Hyderabad remains tense after a Hindu man was murdered by his Muslim wife’s family over their inter-faith marriage. The 25-year-old Billapuram Nagaraju, a resident of Marredpally, was stabbed to death by two Muslim men, one being Sulthana’s brother, at the Saroornagar Tehsildar’s office on Wednesday night.
According to the reports, Nagaraju, who had married 23-year-old Syed Ashrin Sultana alias Pallavi just months ago despite objection from the family, had promised Sultana’s mother that he would convert to Islam. However, according to Sulthana, her mother did not listen.
Hyderabad | Nagaraju had told my mother that he will convert to a Muslim (Islam) to marry me but my mother didn’t listen…We had a love marriage…: Ashrin Sulthana, deceased’s wife pic.twitter.com/f0WSIURqNC
— ANI (@ANI) May 5, 2022
Sulthana’s brother Syed Mobin Ahmed, who is a fruit vendor and another accused, Mohammad Masood Ahmed, a car mechanic by profession, had stopped the couple near Saroonagar and attacked Nagaraju with an iron rod. The accused had stabbed Nagaraju and had thrashed him mercilessly with an iron rod in public. Nagaraju died on the spot.
The heartbreaking visuals have gone viral on social media platforms, in which a speechless Sulthana was seen standing on a road, surrounded by crowds, staring at her husband’s body.
Reportedly, Sulthana begged the bystanders to save her husband amidst the assault, however, nobody came forward to help her.
“Nagaraju was beaten by five members at the signal. I begged everyone to let us go. He was killed in front of everyone, can’t the world see? At the signal, I requested people for help. I tried to save Nagaraju by covering him. But five other people were pushing me away from him, and other people were beating him. He was wearing a helmet, but despite that, they kept assaulting him,” Sulthana was quoted as saying.
Accused observed Nagaraju’s movements, says witness
According to Republic TV, the witnesses in the case said that the accused Mobin and Masood observed Nagaraju’s movements and chased his bike to assault him, as they were against Sulthana’s marriage with Nagaraju.
Shivaleela, a family friend of the deceased and a witness in the case, said the incident occurred in front of her house and informed the same to the complainant over the phone.
The FIR has been registered under Sections 154 and 157 of the CrPC, IPC Section 302 (murder) and Section 3 of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
As per the FIR, Nagaraju had left his wife Ashrin at Lingam’s house and picked her up from Lingam’s house around 8.45 PM on his Honda Unicorn bike, he proceeded towards his house at Brundavan Colony. As he took a U-turn towards Post Office from Main Road, 100 metres from his house, Ashrin Sulthana’s elder brother Syed Mobin and his brother-in-law Masood Ahmed came on a bike and stopped them, throwing the couple to the ground.
“Immediately, Mobin beat Nagaraju with the iron road on his head. After 2-3 times, he gave the iron rod to Masood. When Mobin was beating Nagaraju, Masood held Nagaraju. Mobin stabbed him with a knife, and Masood beat his head with an iron rod indiscriminately,” the FIR read.
Earlier, one of Nagaraju’s relatives had said that the girl’s family had killed Nagaraju since they belonged to different religions.
