A 24-year-old Hindu youth was hacked to death by his Muslim wife’s family members and others over their interfaith marriage in Devbhumi Dwarka district of Gujarat, police said on Monday, August 5.
The incident occurred on Saturday (August 3) in Shedhakhai village. The deceased identified as Yagnik Dudhrejiya was mercilessly attacked with axes, iron rods and sticks by the accused, all related to the Muslim wife of the deceased, identified as Adam Musa Detha (42), Hothi alias Dado Kasam Detha (27), Juma Musa Detha (40), Osman Musa Detha (35), Sajid Isha Detha (26), and Salim Hussain Detha (32) and a minor.
Dhudhrejiya was rushed to a government hospital in Jamnagar city, where he died late in the evening, the police said.
“The victim, who belonged to the Sadhu caste, had married a Muslim woman. The accused, all Muslims, were involved in the murder due to the interfaith marriage,” Superintendent of Police (SP) Nitesh Pandey was quoted by HT as saying.
In what transpired, the Hindu youth, a native of Shedhakhai village and Ramza, a woman from a Muslim family in the same village fell in love with each other. They eloped and married each other one and a half years ago. However, the woman’s family members disapproved of her marriage to a man from another community. The couple, nevertheless, persisted and were living elsewhere. The couple welcomed a baby girl about a month and a half ago. However, the threats from the woman’s family persisted.
Around 45 days ago the duo returned to their native village, Shedhakhai. On Saturday (August 3) evening, Dudhrejia left his house with his friend Hardeep Singh Vajubha when his wife’s relatives intercepted them. Before the Hindu youth could realise, the Muslim girl’s kin surrounded him and launched a vicious attack on him.
“You married out a girl without our approval, we won’t let you go alive today,” shouted the Muslim girl’s relatives before mercilessly attacking the Hindu youth with axes, iron rods, sticks and knives.
The Hindu youth sustained severe injuries and was rushed to a hospital. There, he was referred to a government hospital in Jamnagar, where doctors declared him dead.
Based on a complaint by the victim’s mother, a case was registered at Bhanvad police station against the accused. They were booked under sections 103(2) (murder committed by a group of five or more persons on the grounds of race, caste, community or sex), 189(2) (unlawful assembly), 189(4) (unlawful assembly of members armed with deadly weapons), 191(2) (rioting), 191(3) (rioting with deadly weapons) and 190 (common intent of members of an unlawful assembly in committing a crime).
“We have arrested six men. They include the victim’s brother-in-law and the woman’s uncles. One juvenile has also been detained and he would be produced before the Juvenile Justice Board,” K K Maru, Sub Inspector of the Bhanvad police station was quoted as saying.
The SI added that police personnel were deployed in the Shedhakhai village after the incident. “However, there has been no further violence in the village, and the situation is under control,” said Maru.
