JOIN USPooja, whose wedding was to be solemnised on Friday, was allegedly burnt alive by her father, Iqbal Singh and uncle on Thursday night and the body was thrown in the fields. The incident occurred at Hasanur village in UP’s Meerut district.
Sources said Iqbal Singh had fixed the marriage of his two daughters Pooja and Jyoti against their will.
However, the girls opposed the marriage as they felt that their father had fixed it in haste. The sisters were thrashed by Iqbal when they protested.
Earlier on the fateful night, Pooja allegedly tried to commit suicide by consuming poison. Instead of taking her to the hospital, Iqbal took her to the fields and burnt her with the help of his brother. Pooja’s body was recovered on Friday morning after the villagers informed the police. The police suspects that she might as well have been poisoned by Iqbal Singh and was later burnt by him.
“My sister did not want to marry there…but papa and tau (uncle) thrashed her and were exerting pressure on her to marry,” Rahul, Pooja’s younger brother said. The body of the girl has been sent for post-mortem.
Many girls like Pooja are killed in UP on a regular basis sufficing to their opposition to these forceful marriages. The “khap” (caste) panchayats have made it clear that they will not allow love marriages or marriages against the wishes of the family.