Man held for attacking newly-wed daughter, son-in-law in Telangana

A 49-year old man who carried out a savage attack on his daughter and her husband for marrying without his consent has been arrested even as the young woman whose forearm was nearly severed while trying to save her spouse was in a critical condition at a hospital, police said.

A video of the incident, which occurred on Wednesday close on the heels of an alleged honour killing in which a 23-year old Dalit Christian man was hacked to death in Telangana’s Nalgonda district, has gone viral. The incidents have triggered public outrage.  Police have now asked TV channels not to show videos of the two incidents, saying they are “likely to provoke violence”.

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V Manohar Chary had fled the scene after brutally attacking his newly wed 20-year old daughter Madhavi and son-in-law Sandeep (21), belonging to different castes, with a sickle at Erragadda here Wednesday but was arrested within hours, police said.

Police also said the man was in an “inebriated” state when he attacked the couple.

Madhavi suffered severe injuries on the left side of her face while the chopped left forearm was hanging by some skin. Her husband was injured on the jaw and has been discharged after treatment.

Doctors attending to the woman said the forearm was cut and they were fixing and rejoining the nerves.

“Her condition remains critical.... She is responding to treatment, but is on ventilator support,” a doctor said.

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They said she would continue to remain under observation for next 2-3 days and only after that they will be able to say if she was out of danger.

In his complaint to police, Sandeep said he was in love with Madhavi since 2013 and they got married on September 12 at a temple here to which their parents had objected.

Police had called their parents and counselled them, but Madhavi’s parents refused to accept the marriage, he said.

On September 16, Madhavi’s parents had gone to Sandeep’s house and requested their daughter to come home which she refused, Deputy Commissioner of Police (West Zone) A R Srinivas told reporters Wednesday night.

The accused had asked the couple to come to Erragadda on Wednesday afternoon, saying he wanted to talk to them.

When Sandeep and Madhavi were about to leave on their two-wheeler, Chary suddenly drew the sickle and attacked his son-in-law even while his daughter tried to prevent him, the official said.

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During interrogation, Chary told the police that he was angry that his daughter married Sandeep without informing him.

When asked if the inter-caste marriage was the motive behind the attack, the police official said the accused was angry that his daughter had married without his knowledge and refused to return home.

“He bore a grudge against his daughter and decided to kill her and Sandeep... he attacked them in an inebriated state,” inflicting injuries on both, the DCP said.

With videos of the incident here and at Nalagonda being aired on TV channels, police asked the media to desist from showing them “in the interest of the society”.

It asked the channels to adhere to the ‘Programme Code’ prescribed under Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act 1995.

“It is observed that certain TV Channels have been telecasting content consisting of gory scenes of violence repeatedly in the name of honour killings, which is likely to provoke violence leading to further such incidents,” state Director General of Police M Mahendar Reddy said in a release.