‘Our love won’: Woman marries boyfriend’s body after honour killing in Maharashtra's Nanded

Dubai: A 20-year-old man in Maharashtra’s Nanded district was brutally beaten, shot in the head and killed before his skull was crushed with a stone in what police suspect is an honour killing sparked by an inter-caste relationship.

Hours later, in an extraordinary act of defiance, the victim’s girlfriend applied vermillion on her own forehead, performed last rites at his funeral, and declared she would live in his home forever as his daughter-in-law.

According to NDTV, the victim, Saksham Tate, had been in a relationship for three years with Aanchal, a young woman from a different caste. They met through her brothers and grew close during frequent visits to Tate’s home. As their bond deepened, Aanchal’s family allegedly began pressuring her to end the relationship, threatening both her and Tate multiple times.

Police said that when her father and brothers learned the couple planned to marry, they allegedly ambushed Tate on Thursday. He was first beaten, then shot in the head, and finally bludgeoned with a stone. All accused were arrested within hours of the murder.

According to the police, two hours before the killing, Aanchal’s mother, Jayshree, had gone to Tate’s home and allegedly threatened him. Officers also noted that both Tate and the accused have criminal backgrounds and that the victim had been recently released from prison — something Aanchal claims her family used as a pretext to plan the murder.

The brutality of the killing sent shockwaves through their village. But what followed left the community stunned.

As Tate’s last rites began, Aanchal arrived at his home in tears. She applied turmeric to his body, placed vermillion on her forehead, and declared herself his wife — performing what she described as a marriage ritual to her dead fiancé. Standing beside his body, she said:
“Our love won. Even in Saksham’s death, my father and brothers lost.”

Aanchal vowed to remain in Tate’s house permanently, saying she would “live as his wife for the rest of my life.” She alleged that Tate was murdered because of his caste and demanded a death penalty for all accused family members.

“My family never accepted our relationship. They had been plotting his murder ever since he was released from jail,” she said, insisting that her love remains unchanged. “Although Saksham is no more, I will forever remain his wife.”

Police are treating the case as an honour killing and investigating the full sequence of events leading to Tate’s murder. The arrests of the woman’s father, brothers, and mother have brought temporary calm to the area, but emotions remain raw as Aanchal continues to sit in Tate’s home, refusing to return to her family