Father arrested for daughter’s honour killing

HOSHIARPUR - A man in Dasuya town of Punjab’s Hoshiarpur district was arrested for allegedly murdering his daughter and severely injuring her boyfriend after finding them in a objectionable position in his house, police said Saturday.

Police officials said that the case seemed to be that of honour killing. The victim, Gurjit Kaur, 20, was first strangulated to death and then given electric shocks to make it appear as a case of electrocution.

The father, Sher Singh, of Dasuya town, 190 km from Chandigarh, was arrested following a complaint by his wife Paramjit Kaur.

The wife told the police that Sher Singh was infuriated that his daughter called a young man, Gagandeep Singh, with whom she had an affair, to her house late Friday night while her parents were away.

Police officials said that the murder of the girl came to light after Gagandeep, who was found by some villagers near Begowal village in adjoining Kapurthala district after a murderous assault by Sher Singh and others, told them what happened with him.

The youth himself is in a serious condition in a private hospital in Jalandhar city.

Gurjit Kaur, who had completed a teachers’ training course from Jammu, had fallen in love with Gagandeep, a resident of Umra Mari village in Tarn Taran district. The relationship was not acceptable to her family since the youth was a close relative of her ‘masi’ (mother’s sister).

On Friday, when Gurjit’s parents went to Jammu to get her certificate, she called Gagandeep to her house from Tarn Taran, 150 km away. He drove to her house in his car.

Gurjit’s mother told the police that they came back home past midnight and saw the car parked there. Inside the house, they found Gurjit and Gagandeep in an objectionable position.

After heated verbal exchanges, Sher Singh and a few others put Gagandeep in his car and drove off, saying that they were going to drop him to his village.

On the way, near Begowal village, they assaulted him with swords and thinking that he was dead, threw in a ditch and set his car on fire. However, Gagandeep, though seriously injured, survived and some passers-by heard his cries for help Saturday morning.

He was taken to a private hospital in Jalandhar city, 50 km away, where he continues to be serious.

Sher Singh then returned home Saturday morning and in a fresh bout of anger, he strangulated his daughter to death while his wife had gone out of the house.

Police officials said that investigations were in progress to know who all were involved in the killing of the girl and the murderous attack on the youth.