A day after a 25-year-old Dalit youth was killed for allegedly having a relationship with a Muslim girl, Karnataka’s Kalaburagi district stayed tense on Friday, even as the police arrested two men, including the woman’s brother, for the crime.
According to the police, Vijaya Kamble, who worked on contract as a cook in the railway department, was in love with a girl and wanted to marry her. The girl’s family however opposed their relationship. Despite this, Kamble continued to stay in touch with her, police said.
On Wednesday, around 7.30 pm, Kamble was returning from work when he was waylaid near a railway bridge. According to the police, he was attacked using weapons and stones and died on the spot.
“He came near the railway bridge which is 50 meters away from my home and we were talking. Every day after work, we usually sit and talk there. Two men carrying weapons attacked him brutally and stabbed him multiple times and fled. Before I could react, he was dead,” Kamble’s childhood friend and colleague Raghavendra told The Indian Express.
On Thursday, the police arrested Shahabuddin, the girl’s brother, and Nawaz, both 19 years of age and residents of Wadi town in Kalaburagi district.
Raghavendra said that Kamble and the girl were in love for four years but their relationship only came to light last year. “Elders from both sides had held a meeting and warned Kamble to stay away from her,” Raghavendra said. “He also had agreed to not to remain in contact but he stayed in touch with her over the phone.”
According to Raghavendra, the girl’s family members had assaulted Kamble 7-8 months ago after they discovered that he was in touch with the girl. Once again, he said, a meeting was held. “After this, he stopped sharing information with me as I would tell him to avoid contacting her,” he said.
“I have known him since childhood. Though he did not study well, he was a good man. His two sisters are married and his mother Rajeshwari wanted to see her son’s marriage but…The only mistake that he made was that he loved a girl from another religion,” Raghavendra said.
The Wadi police have registered a murder case and the accused are in police custody. Further investigation is underway, police said.
This article first appeared on indianexpress.com