Girl killed for honor

Akhila Chowhan 

A couple murdered their daughter,17, for having an affair with an Adivasi boy in Neredigonda mandal headquarters in Adilabad district of Telangana early on Friday morning.

Akhila Chowhan belonged to Mathura community while her lover, Mr. Arka Mahender, 26, a Gond Adivasi and was native of Rolmamada village in Neredigonda mandal.

Sources said that the victim’s parents, Chowhan Laxman and Chandrakala, and her grandmother Panchawathi, together asphyxiated Akhila with her chunni while she was sleeping. Parents took the extreme step to protect the honor of their community. 

The Neredigonda sarpanch lodged a complaint with the local police. It is learned that Akhila’s parents have confessed to their crime before the police.

Akhila had called her lover on Thursday night, telling him that she could no longer bear her family’s harassment. Mr. Mahender had then gone to Akhil’s house and had tried to convince her parents and had appealed to them not to harass Akhila. He told them that they were in love and he was ready to marry her.

The parents were not impressed and argued with Mr. Mahender. Sources said that Mr. Mahender was working as a computer operator in the Tahsildar’s office of Neredigonda, which was next to Akhil’as a house. Over a period of time, they developed a relationship and fell in love.

People of Mathura community (also known as Khaithi Lambada) have been agitating demanding the state government to include them in the list of Scheduled Tribes (STs) and state government has appointed Chellappa Committee to look into the issue.

Mathuras are in Backward Community’s list in the Telangana state and their population is considerable in numbers in Adilabad and Nizamabad districts.