A 22-year-old man was killed in a suspected honour killing outside a bus stand in Tarn Taran, Punjab, on Sunday, according to police and family statements reported by local and national media.
Jagjit Singh, a resident of Kadgil village in Tarn Taran district, was attacked outside the town's bus stand. Police said the attackers were Jaspreet Singh and Harpreet Singh, brothers of the woman Jagjit had married about a month ago. The two brothers allegedly attacked Jagjit with a sharp weapon, striking him in the head and face and killing him on the spot, as reported by The New Indian Express and Daily Excelsior.
According to Daily Excelsior, based on a PTI report, Jagjit had eloped with the accused's sister and married her about a month earlier. The girl's family was reportedly unhappy with the union. On the day of the attack, the girl's mother asked Jagjit to meet her at the bus stand, where the two accused were already waiting. When Jagjit arrived, the brothers allegedly attacked him with knives, causing his immediate death, police said.
The victim's father, Tarseem Singh, told The Tribune and The New Indian Express that his son had married the accused's sister a month back. Tarseem Singh alleged that the girl's mother, Kulwinder Kaur, was the mastermind behind the murder. He claimed Kulwinder had called Jagjit to the bus stand, asking him to take her to his home, as she wanted to meet her daughter. "Kulwinder was in constant touch with her daughter after she married Jagjit. She had called Jagjit to the bus stand to take her home as she wanted to meet her daughter and the family," Tarseem Singh was quoted as saying in The Tribune. He also said the accused had never previously expressed opposition to the marriage.
The police have based their initial investigation on family statements and have booked the girl's brothers, Jaspreet Singh Jassa and Harpreet Singh Happy, The Tribune reported. Jaspreet was arrested at the scene with the help of bystanders, while raids were being conducted to arrest Harpreet, who fled the area. The New Indian Express reported that a manhunt was launched to nab the other accused.
The victim's family demanded that Kulwinder Kaur be named as an accused in the case. Judge Singh, the deceased's maternal uncle, said the family would not allow the post-mortem examination unless police named Kulwinder as an accused, The Tribune reported. The family later agreed to the autopsy after Station House Officer Paramjit Singh assured them that her role would be examined during the probe. Police have sought the call detail records of Kulwinder and her daughter. "Once we establish her presence near the scene, she will also be named as an accused in the case," the SHO said.
DSP (Headquarters) Jaspal Singh of Tarn Taran told The New Indian Express that the girl's family did not approve of the marriage. He said Jagjit had allegedly abducted the girl from Naurangabad village nearly a month ago and married her against the wishes of her family. "The girl's brothers Jaspreet Singh and Harpreet Singh surrounded Jagjit outside the bus stand in Tarn Taran and stabbed him to death," the DSP said.
The New Indian Express also reported that eyewitnesses said the accused showed no remorse after the killing. It was also alleged that Jagjit had earlier married another girl from Naurangabad in a similar fashion, but she later left him.
A police party led by SHO Paramjit Singh Virdi of City police station reached the spot and took the body into their possession, according to The New Indian Express. A case was registered under Sections 103 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.