Just days after a Dalit man was murdered in front of his pregnant wife and mother on the pretext of inter-caste marriage in Telangana, another inter-caste couple was attacked by women’s father in broad daylight in Hyderabad on September 19.

What was the incident?

According to The News Minute, the incident occurred at around 3:30 pm. The girl’s father, Manohar Chari had called the couple to meet him at Erragada, Gokul Theatre. The incident, caught on CCTV cameras, showed the couple sitting on a two-wheeler which was parked on the main road. Soon after, a man (the father) wearing a helmet pulled up and parked his bike next to them as well. He can then be seen disembarking from his bike, removing the helmet and pulling out a sickle from his bag. He aimed for  Sandeep first and then his daughter Madhavi who were patiently waiting on their bike. During the attack, Sandeep sustained gashes to his cheek while daughter Madhavi, who wanted to stop her father, sustained major injuries to her hand as well as other parts of her body.

The father who was absconding was arrested by the police later in the evening. G. Srinivas, Detective Sub Inspector of SR Nagar police station said that Chari was drunk when he attacked the couple and was still drunk when police caught him late Wednesday evening. A case was booked against Chari under Section 307 of the Indian Penal Code, reported Deccan Chronicle.

The News Minute reported that while Sandeep is in a safe condition, Madhavi’s condition continues to remain critical. The couple was first rushed to Neelima Hospital, Madhavi was soon shifted to Yashoda Hospital where a team of 15 specialists is currently monitoring her health conditions. The doctors said, “Her hand was practically hanging by the skin when she was brought to us. We are focusing on trying to save her life first, that is what is important.”

Why did the father attack the couple?

Reportedly, Sandeep (23) and Madhavi (21) got married on 12th September at an Arya Samaj temple against the wishes of Madhavi’s family. According to The Indian Express, police investigation revealed that Madhavi’s family were against this relationship as Sandeep belonged to the SC community and Madhavi was from OBC. The girl’s parents had threatened her with dire consequences over the same and were looking for a groom to marry her off.

ACP Vijay Kumar told the daily, “On Wednesday afternoon, around 3 pm, (Madhavi’s father) Manohar Chari called Sandeep and told him that he was missing his daughter very much… and asked him to bring her near an automobile showroom in SR Nagar Road. He ambushed them from behind with a sickle… Madhavi is in a very critical condition while Sandeep, who received deep gashes, is out of danger.’’ As per Sandeep’s written complaint, they sought police protection after their marriage and both the families were called at SR Nagar Police Station for counseling. The News Minute reported Kumar as confirming that the family had approached the police earlier and while the family was against the relationship at first, after police counseling, the father seemed to accept their matrimony. 

The Logical Indian take

This is the 21st century. How many more innocent people need to lose their lives before we as a society end this prolonged menace of caste? The father of the girl did not care about his daughter and his daughter’s unborn child because for him “society” is more important. What kind of society is this which encourages a person to make his own unborn grandchild fatherless?

We sincerely hope that people stop seeing the invisible veil of caste or creed and start using their judgment and logic to determine what is right and wrong.

Also Read: Telangana Honour Killing: “I Am More Concerned About My Status In The Society Than My Daughter”