Couple found dead in Haryana, police suspect honour killing

FATEHABAD - A teenaged boy and a girl were found dead under mysterious circumstances at Smain village of Haryana’s Fathehabad district Sunday morning, police said, suspecting it to be an another case of “honour killing”.

“Shyam Mohammed and Reena, around 17 to 18 years of age, were found dead in the open fields. Poison tablets were found near their bodies. There were no injury marks. It will be too early to say whether it was a suicide or a murder,” Station House Officer Madan Lal told IANS.

“We are also considering the angle of honour killing in the case,” he said.

According to police, Shyam and Reena wanted to marry each other but their families were against the alliance.

“We have started our investigation and police are recording the statements of the family members. Also, the bodies have been sent for post-mortem examination,” Madan Lal said.

Fatehabad is around 300 km from state capital Chandigarh.

Haryana is notorious for honour killings, with two cases being reported last month.

Two teenaged girls were murdered for having a romantic relationship with their cousin in Sonepat town. Three people, including a woman, were arrested.

In another case, a teenaged couple was murdered in a village in Bhiwani district by the girl’s family as the boy and girl were from different gotra (sub-caste) and were planning to marry.

In March this year, a court in Karnal sentenced five people to death for killing a young couple who married in 2007 against the wishes of their community.