K'taka: Pregnant woman burnt alive for marrying Dalit

Bijapur (Karnataka) [India], June 6 (ANI): In a dreadful incident of honour killing, a pregnant woman in Karnataka's Bijapur district was burnt alive by her family members for allegedly marrying a Dalit man. The incident took place in a village called Gundanakala in the Bijapur district. 21-year-old Banu Begum was in love with 24-year-old Sayabanna Sharnappa Konnur, a young man from the same village. After firm resistance from the girl's parents who refused to accept their relationship, the couple decided to elope to Goa and get married. Banu's family was so enraged that they dragged the girl to the local police station and sought a case of POCSO to be filed against Sayabanna. On June 3, the duo returned home after she got pregnant, with the hope that they will have to accept their marriage. However, both the families were unwilling to change their stand and soon got into a fight. Sayabanna was brutally assaulted by the girl's family but he managed to escape with bite marks all over his body but Banu could not escape. When Sayabanna returned with police, the family members had set Banu on fire. According to reports, four members including Banu's mother, her sister, brother and brother-in-law have been arrested. (ANI)