Nanded honour killing: Man once who danced with daughter’s boyfriend now held for his murder

Dubai: Just seven months ago, Gajanan Balaji Mamidwar was seen dancing joyfully with his daughter’s boyfriend during Ambedkar Jayanti celebrations in Maharashtra’s Nanded.

Today, he is in police custody, accused of killing the same young man over an inter-caste relationship that his family allegedly pretended to accept before violently betraying him.

According to police and the young woman’s own account, the Mamidwar family used this seemingly warm relationship to gain Tate’s trust. “They would be nice to him, eat with him, talk to him. They convinced him all was well. We had no idea something like this would happen,” Aanchal told NDTV. She has now disowned her family and moved in with Tate’s parents.

Investigators say Aanchal’s father and brothers — Himesh and Sahil Mamidwar — conspired to kill Tate because they disapproved of the inter-caste relationship. One of the brothers, who allegedly fired the fatal shot and smashed Tate’s head with a tile, is a juvenile.

On Thursday evening, Tate was standing with friends when Himesh allegedly confronted him. The argument escalated into violence: Himesh allegedly pulled out a weapon, shot Tate in the ribs, and then struck him with a tile. Tate died on the spot.

A day later, in one of the most heartbreaking moments of the case, Aanchal “married” Saksham’s corpse before his final rites — placing a garland around his body and performing symbolic rituals that she said honoured the life they had hoped to build together. She has since vowed to stay with Saksham’s family permanently.

Aanchal, devastated, said her family had long threatened to kill her boyfriend. “My father opposed our relationship over caste differences. He and my brothers used to say, ‘We are gangsters. How can he dare to speak to our daughter?’” she said. She added that her father once told Tate he would need to convert to Hindu Dharma if he wanted to marry her — something Tate had agreed to.

In a startling claim, Aanchal also alleged that two policemen — Dheeraj Komalwar and Maheet Asarwar — provoked her younger brother hours before the killing. She said her brother took her to the police station to file a false complaint against Tate, but she refused.

“The cops told him, ‘You keep coming here after killing people. Why don’t you kill the man your sister is involved with?’” she alleged. Her younger brother reportedly replied he would kill Tate by evening — a threat he allegedly carried out.

Both the Mamidwar brothers, their father, and three others have been arrested. They have been charged with murder, rioting, unlawful assembly and other offences under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and the Arms Act. Police are also verifying Aanchal’s allegations against the officers.

Aanchal has vowed to stay with Tate’s family, who have accepted her. “This murder happened because of caste. People should not be killed over caste,” she said. “I want justice. I want my father and brothers to be hanged.”

What began as a joyful dance in April has ended in a brutal killing that has once again exposed how caste prejudice, deceit and rage can violently shatter young lives in India.