A college student was killed allegedly by the brother of his girlfriend with whom he had eloped two months ago in another suspected honour killing case.
The body of Ajit Saini, who was in his early 20s and was pursuing Bachelors in Business Administration, was found in New Mandi area in Muzaffarnagar on Friday.
His throat was found slit and legs cut off, police said.
His girlfriend Anshu Tomar, also in her early 20s, is missing.
On the basis of a complaint filed by Ajit's family, the girl's father Narendra Tomar and brother Anuj were arrested, Superintendent of Police Rajiv Malhotra said.
During interrogation, Anuj confessed to have killed Ajit for "tarnishing the family's image," the officer claimed.
According to Anuj, his sister had eloped several times with Ajit despite repeated warnings by the family.
The couple had eloped two months ago after the girl's family opposed to their relationship. After assurances from the family that they would solemnise their marriage, the duo returned home on April 19.
Recently, a Delhi-based journalist Nirupama Pathak was allegedly killed by her family at her house in Jharkhand over her love affair with a boy lower than her caste.
The incidents come close on the heels of a historic verdict by the Karnal sessions court which awarded capital punishment to five persons and life sentence to one for murdering a couple on the diktats of a community panchayat for marrying against societal norms.
Manoj (23) of Karoran village in Haryana's Kaithal district had married Babli (19) against the wishes of her family and the caste panchayat on May 18, 2007. The duo shifted to Karnal after their marriage but was brutally killed on June 15, 2007.
The entire village had turned against Manoj's family, since the khap was against the marriage citing that they were from the same 'gotra'.
Caste panchayats have been in news recently for their diktats opposing marriages in the same 'gotra' and within the same village.
