Karnataka man strangles daughter to death over inter-caste relationship
In Kalaburagi, Karnataka, a father has been arrested for allegedly murdering his 18-year-old daughter, Kavitha, because she was in a relationship with someone from another caste.
Kavitha, a second-year pre-university student (Class 12) from the Lingayat community, was dating Malappa Poojari, an auto driver from the Kuruba caste.
Her family strongly opposed the relationship due to fears of social backlash and concerns about their other daughters' marriage prospects.
Father strangled her, tried to make it look like suicide
Despite months of pressure from her family to break up, Kavita stood by her choice.
Police say her father strangled her on August 28 and then tried to make it look like suicide by putting pesticide in her mouth before cremating her body on a relative's land in the presence of villagers.
The case came to light after an anonymous tip-off led police to arrest him and detain two relatives for murder and evidence tampering.
Forensic teams are now investigating further, and the incident has caused tension in the community.