Gujarat teen living with boyfriend killed over ‘family honour’ by father, uncle days before HC hearing

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An 18-year-old girl from Gujarat’s Banaskantha district, who had cleared the NEET exam, was allegedly killed by her father and uncle in what police suspect to be an ‘honour killing.’ According to an FIR filed on the complaint of her partner, the family acted after learning that she was living with her boyfriend, The Times of India reported.

The motive, as detailed in police statements, was rooted in ‘family honour’. Chandrika had scored 478 marks in NEET, qualifying for admission to a government medical college. She, who aspired to become a gynaecologist or general physician, was in a relationship with Haresh Chaudhary, 23, whom she first met at a bus stand in February this year. While she wished to continue her studies and live independently, away from family, they disapproved of it.

Chandrika was allegedly given milk laced with sedatives by her father, Sendha, and then he and her uncle Shivram strangled her with a dupatta on June 25. The family cremated her body in haste, telling villagers she had died of a heart attack. While Shivram has been arrested, Sendha is still absconding.

As per TOI, Chandrika's mother was not aware of how she died. Officials said the mother has not been in a stable mental state since the incident and remained unaware that her daughter was killed by her family members.

Chandrika’s partner, Haresh, claimed that Shivram had visited some colleges and, after seeing boys and girls studying together, warned her father against sending her to such an environment. The family allegedly took away her phone, disconnected her from social media, and restricted her to household work.

The alleged murder took place just days before the Gujarat High Court was scheduled to hear a habeas corpus petition filed by Haresh, which ultimately brought the case to light. Haresh said the couple had met in February this year and had signed a ‘live-in agreement’ just two weeks before her death.

“Her only wish was to study medicine. We were not harming anyone, just wanted to live peacefully,” Haresh was quoted by TOI as saying. According to the FIR, the last words Chandrika heard from her father were, “Have milk and rest well. Sleep well,” before she drank the sedative-laced milk.