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A 21-year-old Dalit man, Saksham Tate, was allegedly murdered in a suspected honour killing in Maharashtra’s Nanded district, with police naming the family of his partner as the prime accused. The attack was reportedly carried out by the father and brother of 21-year-old Aanchal Mamidwar, whose upper-caste family had long opposed the couple’s inter-caste relationship.
According to police, Saksham and Aanchal had been in a relationship for several years. Speaking to the media, Aanchal alleged that her family had been threatening Saksham for months and had pretended to accept their relationship only to “trap him”.
She claimed that her brother and father lured Saksham into a conversation, forced him to consume intoxicants, shot him three times and, when he showed signs of life, bludgeoned him with a heavy tile. The killing took place on Thursday.
Police arrested Himesh Mamidwar, his brother Sahil (25), and their father Gajanan Mamidwar (45) soon after the incident. Aanchal’s mother was later taken into custody. A minor accused has been sent to an observation home, while two more suspects remain unidentified.
Aanchal publicly condemned her family, stating she had wished to marry Saksham. In an emotional gesture, she performed marriage rituals beside Saksham’s body at his home on Friday. Videos of the scene went viral, prompting widespread public outrage. She has demanded the death penalty for all the accused, saying “my family destroyed two lives because of caste prejudice”.
Saksham’s mother, Sangita Tate, who works at a cloth shop in Nanded, lodged the FIR. She alleged that Aanchal’s family had repeatedly threatened her son due to his caste. “If young boys and girls are going to be killed just for falling in love, then where are our children supposed to go? Life will become unbearable for our boys and girls,” she said.
Nanded Superintendent of Police Abinash Kumar confirmed the arrests, noting that all parties involved have criminal records. He said Saksham had several cases registered against him and had been recently released, while Himesh and his father also faced multiple charges and had been externed from the area. “They should not have been in the locality,” he said, adding that in some earlier cases, Saksham and Himesh, once close friends, were co-accused.
Police said the accused told investigators they did not want their daughter to marry someone with a criminal background, despite having similar records themselves.
Five persons have been booked under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, the Arms Act, and other relevant provisions, including charges of murder, rioting and unlawful assembly. They were produced before a local court and remanded to police custody. The investigation is under way.
