'Protect Me, My Husband From Family': Delhi Honour Killing Victims Wrote to Sonepat Police Last Year

During preliminary investigation into the case of murder of a 24-year-old man and grievous assault on his wife in Dwarka, the Delhi Police have found a letter that the couple had reportedly written to the cops, seeking protection after they eloped and got married in August last year.

Nineteen-year-old Kiran had shot a letter to the Sonepat Senior Superintendent of Police, where she described her family’s objection to their “love marriage”, The Indian Express reported. “My family is opposed to this relation. On getting a chance, I ran away from the house of my free will and got married as per Hindu rites and ceremonies on 13.08.2020. We are living as husband and wife out of our free will. However, my family has been threatening us and may also lodge false complaints against us,” read the letter.

ALSO READ | Delhi Honour Killing: Was Angry with Marriage but Never Thought of Killing, Says Father of Man Shot Dead

On Thursday night, six-seven men broke into the couple’s house in Ambrahi village in Dwarka and indiscriminately fired shots. The deceased, Vinay (24), received four gunshot injuries around his stomach and chest, while Kiran received a wound on her neck, the police said.

The victims were rushed to Venkateshewara hospital where Vinay was declared brought dead. Kiran, who tried to escape through the terrace, is undergoing treatment at the hospital. Police had on Thursday suspected that it might be a case of honour killing. The couple had eloped last year against the wishes of their families, they had said.

The Delhi Police are interrogating Kiran’s family members, including her father, brother and cousins. She alleged that she saw some of them “during the attack”.

Last year, the couple got married on August 13 and approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking protection. In an order dated August 19, Justice Raj Mohan Singh had asked the Sonepat SSP to look into the matter to “ascertain the truth in the allegations of the petitioners… assess the threat perception of the petitioners”, the IE reported.

However, Sonepat police did not take “concrete action”, the couple’s advocate claimed.

In her letter, Kiran said that Vinay’s family had initially opposed their relationship, however, eventually they agreed to it. On the other hand, her mother and relatives steadfast on their objection also “started to search for them in order to kill them”.

“Kindly protect me, my husband Vinay and his family, so that my family members cannot cause any damage to us,” Kiran’s letter read.

However, a senior police officer from the SSP’s office denied the couple ever approaching them or seeking help, the Express reported.

“They asked the court to quash an FIR that was registered on a complaint by Kiran’s mother, wherein she alleged her daughter was a minor and was abducted. We investigated the matter and found that the girl wasn’t a minor and cancelled the case. The couple later left the village and never asked the police for help,” an officer was quoted in the report.

Meanwhile, the couple’s advocate, Abhimanyu Kalsy, maintained that they had been receiving death threats from the woman’s family for a long time.

“We sent several applications to seek protection and quash the FIR, which the SSP, Sonepat must have received. How can he say that the couple didn’t approach him? Even if they didn’t, he must have received HC orders to look into the matter. The police didn’t take any concrete action,” he said.

Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Coronavirus News here.