Inter-caste marriage: Bride stabbed to death by her father on wedding eve

A 22-year-old woman has been stabbed to death just hours before her wedding by her casteist father, who had grudgingly agreed to let her marry the man she loved.

The incident took place at about 5 pm on Thursday, March 22, in Malappuram district of Kerala. Jurisdictional Areekode police have detained the killer father, Rajan.

Athira, a resident of Poovathikandi in the district, was scheduled to wed her boyfriend on Friday. Preliminary reports said Rajan was against his daughter marrying a backward class boy but had given his consent following intervention by his relatives.

In the evening, Rajan had an argument with Athira over the wedding and he assaulted her with a knife he was carrying. Athira escaped to a neighbour's home but Rajan chased her and stabbed her, reports quoting witnesses said. She sustained serious injuries and was shifted to a hospital where she was declared dead.

According to the police, Rajan had objected to the wedding since the groom -- a resident of Koyilandy in Kozhikode district -- belonged to a backward caste. Athira is learnt to have been in a relationship with him for many years.

A police official in Areekode said Rajan was drunk at the time of the incident. "Rajan had opposed their relationship from the beginning but the wedding was finalised after talks between relatives of the boy and the girl," the official said.