Man, 2 aides kill brother-in-law’s grandfather in Hisar; 1 held

Nearly two and a half years after an inter-caste couple tied the knot and eloped from the village, the bride’s brother, along with two aides, allegedly murdered the 89-year-old grandfather of the youth in Talwandi Rukka village of Hisar district on the night of August 15, allegedly to avenge the marriage.

The police have arrested one of the accused in connection with the murder of Mahavir Singh, while efforts are underway to arrest the remaining absconding accused.

Mahavir was killed while he was asleep outside his house in the street, when the assailants allegedly attacked him with sharp-edged weapons. He was taken to a hospital, where he later died.

Mandeep Singh, SHO of Azad Nagar police station, said the arrested accused, Ashish, is a friend of the bride’s brother, who had married Mahavir’s grandson. The SHO refused to disclose the identities of the other persons allegedly involved in the crime, adding that police teams were conducting raids at suspected hideouts to arrest them.

Manoj Kumar, husband of village sarpanch Neelam, said Mahavir’s grandson, who belongs to a Backward Class community, had married a girl from the Bishnoi community about two and a half years ago.

The couple eloped from the village and, according to their information, had never returned home. He said the villagers were informed that Mahavir’s family had disowned the youth following the marriage and that the family was unaware of his whereabouts.