An 18-year-old woman from Banaskantha district, Gujarat, was allegedly killed by her father and uncle in a suspected honour killing on June 24, 2025. Just hours before her death, she sent desperate texts to her boyfriend pleading for rescue from forced marriage or death.
The victim, who had recently qualified for the NEET medical entrance exam and was in a live-in relationship, was given sedative-laced milk, strangled, and her death staged to look like suicide by her relatives. Police have arrested her uncle and a cousin while her father remains absconding as investigations continue, sparking shock and condemnation in the community.
Desperate Pleas and a Premeditated Murder
The victim’s last messages included pleas such as, “Come and take me away, otherwise my family will get me married against my will. If I refuse, they will kill me. Save me.” Despite these warnings, on the night of June 24, she was given milk mixed with sleeping pills at her uncle’s house in Dantiya village, Tharad taluka. When she fell unconscious, her uncle and a cousin strangled her with a dupatta and then hung her body to simulate suicide.
The next morning, the family performed the last rites hastily, excluding close relatives, which raised suspicion. The victim’s live-in partner, who was in jail during her final messages, had filed a habeas corpus petition for her safe produce before the Gujarat High Court; but she was found dead two days before the hearing. Police arrested the uncle Shivrambhai Patel and cousin Naran Patel, while the father Sendha Darga Patel remains at large.
Social and Cultural Backdrop of Honour Killings
This tragic killing highlights the persistent issue of honour-based violence in parts of India, where patriarchal family and community norms exert strict control over women’s choices related to marriage, education, and relationships. The victim’s family opposed her live-in relationship and educational aspirations, fearing social dishonour.
She had cleared the NEET exam recently, aiming for a career in medicine or nursing. Despite legal protections, such cases reveal how deep-rooted societal pressures still lead to extreme violence to enforce conformity. Authorities noted that the suspects had a layered plan to conceal the murder, misleading villagers with conflicting stories of suicide and natural death. Following public outrage, the family has abandoned their home.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
This heartbreaking murder underscores the critical need for societal transformation that respects individual rights to autonomy, education, and love without fear of retribution.
Law enforcement must pursue stringent justice, but lasting change requires cultural awakening and empathy to dismantle harmful traditions masquerading as honour. The loss of such promising young life is a devastating reminder of the price of patriarchal control and violence.
